I got diagnosed with autism at 19 this year, I always hated school and struggled. I think about constantly what could have been different if I had a diagnosis earlier in life and had the tools I needed to succeed. You’re not alone, I promise.

97

It’s like a grief only we can understand. Grieving how much easier our lives would have been and could be right now if we just had the right support system.

61

It’s never too late to continue education!

46

I’m finally getting to a point where I’ve accepted that I can’t function at the same level as neurotypical people and have started taking steps to accommodate myself, but that has meant not applying to grad programs yet because I know I’m already burnt out. I’m seeing my friends get their decisions back and it’s really hard not to think that I could’ve applied and gotten in if I had just pushed myself a little bit more

39

I feel this on so many levels. What I was going to be and what I worked hard for since I was a little kid was stripped away from me.

11

This exactly. I struggled through all four years of undergrad just to drop out with 3 credits, a few incomplete papers, and an internship away from a degree. I got a diagnosis in my last semester and I had to choose between waiting for some form of treatment to work or giving up and starting from scratch. I made the right choice but I always wonder how much easier my life would’ve been had someone caught it earlier

11

it is more common to work and then return to grad school than to go straight there from undergrad in a lot of fields! you definitely still have a chance unless you’re like very terminally ill or something

6

Well, you’re currently burying them in your conscious state of mourning what could’ve been. Yes you didn’t have a good support system, understandable that you’re feeling a sense of regret because you would’ve been in a completely different position than you are right now if you did. However, now that you are aware of that now, what are you going to do? The beauty of life is that the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago, the second best time is now. Close your mourning chapter and decide

1