How old is too old to be diagnosed with autism?

[xoxochrismskye]

My daughter has had an IEP since she was in first grade. I was told she couldn't have one after the third grade (she's in fifth now) unless she was deemed MR and due to her low iq test scores they could do that even though her problem is a cognitive one. Anyways after being frustrated with the school and the way IMO they were babying her instead of challenging her we took her to have additinal testing done to see if she has a learning disability ( I suspect dyslexia). Anyways it seems that she thinks in concrete and can't understand abstract ideas. The doctor recommended she see someone to test her for learning disabilities as all he handled was behavioral therapy. After the initial interview with this new doctor she seems to think that one of the reasons she scored low in her iq test is become of concrete thinking but that she also shows signs of autism/asperger's. also she suffers from short term memory loss due to lack of sleep bc she never fully goes into REM sleep at night. She will be seeing an ENT to deal with this problem. Anyways is it possible to have an autistic child and not be aware of it? How could the school not have caught something like that earlier? In my heart I've felt there was something a bit " off " with my daughter but I just blew it off bc for the first time I was a stay at home mom and I just spent more time with her than her siblings. Did I cause my daughter more harm than good by never mentioning my gut feeling? She's 11 years old and extremely shy but she has friends in school and loves sports and dancing. Any advice or just thoughts would be great especially since I feel really dense on the subject even though I've done nothing but research on it for the past week.

[xoxochrismskye]

Currently her IEP is for mild mental disability

Quoting Bluerose1482:

It is never too late to seek a diagnosis.  There are several people here who were first diagnosed as adults. 

Asperger's won't offically exist in a couple of months when the new DSM comes out, the diagnostic criteria that used to be called Asperger's will simply be called Autism. 

Does your daughter currently have an IEP?  Does she have an IAP (504 plan)?  If so, what is the justification/diagnosis.

[Lilbit0700]

no you did not do anything and She can I ep till she 22 GEt a child Acvote.

[xoxochrismskye]

Getting the school do anything is like pulling teeth. Luckily we finally got a good ins plan that's paying for all the testing but everything that they've ever done with her I have in writing. I learned that the hard way with my younger son.

Thanks everyone so far for the comments... It makes me feel abit better knowing your stories and that autism can be diagnosed later in life.

Someone mentioned the DSM...I'm not sure what that is but I did read somewhere that asperger's and autism would now be classified under autism spectrum disorder...a blanket to cover them all...is that what you meant or did I read wrong?

[kajira]

I got diagnosed lsat summer for my birthday.  (I was turning 27)

My brother was mid-30's when he was diagnosed.

[drpatriot]

I was diagnosed at 39. I will be 43 in April.

[Hottubgodess]

 Usually the problem is not dx'd early enough.  I am 41 and should be tested.  I suspect Aspergers, same as my son. 

[kimber2465]

there is never a age limit!!! there is so more now then what there was even 20 years ago!!!  i knew early on that something wasn't right with our youngest. our problem was our doctor( and a few others) just would not listen to us!!! 

[xoxochrismskye]

I guess it shows my ignorance on the subject... 😒 I didn't realize or know for that matter that autism was something so easily missed. Goes to show you how much I need to learn. Anybody have an good reading material or sites that would help me be better oriented?

[Hottubgodess]

 Yep, schools are driven by money, not by helping troubled kids.  :(  My son is 9, 3rd grade, and last year they treated him like a behaviour problem.  It was painful for him and me.  This year he is in a SPED classroom, for Emotionaly Impaired, but the teacher uses ASD techniques.

Quoting xoxochrismskye:

Getting the school do anything is like pulling teeth. Luckily we finally got a good ins plan that's paying for all the testing but everything that they've ever done with her I have in writing. I learned that the hard way with my younger son.

Thanks everyone so far for the comments... It makes me feel abit better knowing your stories and that autism can be diagnosed later in life.

Someone mentioned the DSM...I'm not sure what that is but I did read somewhere that asperger's and autism would now be classified under autism spectrum disorder...a blanket to cover them all...is that what you meant or did I read wrong?

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual Revision 5 - it is what the mental health community uses to categorize mental illness and neurological disorders.  Instead of having Pervastive Developmental Disorders, they will all be under the Autism umbrella.  Which is great for kids like mine (Aspergers) who are not taken seriously by schools.  

 

[Hottubgodess]

 Google Girls with Autism or Symptoms of Autism in Girls. 

My son flew under the radar until 2nd grade.  Girls are more compliant and since girls are more likely to help others, our friends sometimes help us thru difficult situations.  :)  Girls also model behaviour of others, so we blend in better.  :) 

Quoting xoxochrismskye:

I guess it shows my ignorance on the subject... 😒 I didn't realize or know for that matter that autism was something so easily missed. Goes to show you how much I need to learn. Anybody have an good reading material or sites that would help me be better oriented?