From neuro_tribe on Instagram:
"96% of autistic people over 60 have never received a diagnosis. Ninety. Six. Percent. That’s almost everyone.
Entire generations who grew up never hearing the word autism used for people like them. Who were told they were shy, awkward, too sensitive, too intense. Who learned to copy, to mask, to keep going.
They built families, careers, lives - often carrying the feeling that something was “off,” but never having the words for it.
Recent research led by Dr Gavin Stewart and Professor Francesca Happé at King’s College London (2025) found that around 97% of autistic adults aged 60 and over and 89% of those aged 40-59 remain undiagnosed.
The study, published through the NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre, reviewed over 80 papers and highlighted how older undiagnosed autistic adults often face:
- higher risks of anxiety, depression, and social isolation
- increased rates of certain physical health issues, including heart and immune-related problems
- and a lifelong pattern of “masking” that can take a heavy toll on wellbeing.
And yet - there’s something profoundly human about this moment we’re in.
More people are starting to recognise themselves in the stories they read.
They’re saying “maybe this is me” for the first time - not to label, but to understand.
It’s never too late to know yourself more deeply.
To unlearn the shame that came from simply being different in a world that didn’t have the language for you.
To realise that what looked like coping was actually surviving.
If you’re discovering your neurodivergence later in life - you are not late.
You are right on time. 🌱"
Thanks for reposting this post from Instagram. I'm 71 and am in that undiagnosed group. I don't know if I was ever any good at masking. I was ostracised socially my whole life. I did above average academically despite of several learning disabilities. I began reading about autism a little over three years ago, and found the words that described and explained my whole life experience. I didn't know that such a high proportion of autistic people in our age group were undiagnosed. I don't feel so alone.