Getting An Autism Diagnosis As A Child

Getting an autism diagnosis as a child is a different experience to a late diagnosis. My daughter has known she is autistic since she was seven, and has grown up in a neurodivergent house where we try to accommodate each others needs without judgement.
I chatted to her about:
- how autism impacts her life as a 16 year old.
- what she loves (passions), and how she approaches engaging with the things she loves.
- what she learned about autistic wellness and how she will apply it to her life as she starts to become more independent.
- her experiences of starting to advocate and ask for accommodations for herself.
- scheduling! does she share my love of it?
Join this channel to get access to perks:
/ @purpleella
My link tree including patreon membership and tip jar
direct.me/purpleella

[@proserpine3332]

I'm so happy when autistic kids are raised by parents who are knowledgeable about autism and even UNDERSTAND what it actually like as they are also autistic. Growing up as an autistic kid was the most lonely thing in the world for becomes my mom has to be one the of the most neurotypical people ever. She's wonderful and loving and helped me so much but just couldn't understand fully.

[@imautisticnowwhat]

Supergirl is so well-spoken!

[@jimwilliams3816]

Supergirl is awesome. She comes across to me as relaxed, confident and analytical. She also has some of her father's vocal mannerisms. Without being dismissive of the challenges I'm sure exist, I'm inclined to say that autism without ADHD is the way to go. The things I like about myself tend to be the parts that feel autistic to me. I don't feel any affinity for my ADHD traits. And obviously, Ella and Mr. Purple being good parents is incredibly helpful. My mother (who had to be neurodivergent in various ways) tried, she really did. But the era was not a good one, to put it mildly. I often think that her decision not to have me assessed for anything may have been the best choice for the time.

[@aspidoscelis]

"I'm inclined to say that autism without ADHD is the way to go." Personally, I'm waiting until I have the chance to try out all the options. :-)

[@jimwilliams3816]

LOL! Take my advice, you can skip the model with four on the floor GAD. It drives like a Sherman tank.

[@kaminathekoach9087]

Super Girl is a VERY fitting name for her. Beautiful share. Thank you

[@anhaicapitomaking8102]

I think this video is really a shout out not so much for diagnosis but for a supportive family. Congratulations.

[@lillyfigura5378]

I am autistic myself and this is the first time I have seen someone else on the spectrum with a good vocabulary

[@IanBourneMusic]

Relate so much to this. (Undiagnosed) autistic, probably adhd too. Music is one of my things, so have ended up, later in life, as a singer songwriter. All the best to yourself and the super hero

[@s.b200]

She's amazing, so smart and mature. Much wisdom here for us who are late diagnosed - it was very interesting! Thank you supergirl for joining!

[@ellie_5276]

Such a heartwarming conversation. I loved the honesty and the bond you and your daughter have. ✨

[@stupidsminkle]

I like Supergirl. I play violin. Just so you know, if she is practicing an hour a day on the viola she will have to change her strings and bow hair every 6 months or sooner to keep the sound very fresh :)

[@vivianstewart7523]

Supergirl is an amazing young lady. I'm 65, diagnosed with ASD at 63, and I've had a long life in the arts. I don't have ADHD either and am a scheduling maniac. Everything gets done with lists of tasks. This great skill that you have will make the difference between success and less than success. It's been my experience that people who stick with it, regardless of natural talent, are the ones who succeed. I've found ways around my skill deficiencies which have led to a unique perspective in my art. The people who don't succeed are usually too afraid to try. So, brava, keep going. You are both wonderful. Love from Los Angeles.

[@jerichoburg7065]

This was so interesting! I have a 16-year-old who was diagnosed with ADHD at 14 and autism at 16, so a bit of a different experience. They are much more interested in neurodivergent social media content and get a lot out of the self-recognition it brings because it still feels "new" to them (and me). I admire Supergirl's dedication and scheduling (something my teen and I both struggle with, having ADHD). She seems so poised and self-aware. I definitely regret not having my kid assessed much earlier because knowing what was going on from a younger age would have been so helpful. But I am neurodivergent myself, so everything they did seemed "normal" to me.

[@Civileyez]

Thanks for sharing .

[@murtazaarif6507]

I think the underlying tendency is to be perfect. It also helps to have such a wonderful support network at home. Unfortunately not all of us get that support at home or community or even within the wider society.

[@whitneymason406]

Supergirl reminds me a lot of myself at that age. Thank you for sharing your experiences! 💞

[@theoriginalspilleli]

Thank you, both for sharing this video. I’m 44F and diagnosed with ASD and I have an 11 daughter who has ASD & ADHD (along with Trisomy X). We both have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. I have enjoyed watching your videos and getting another POV of living with a neurodivergent brain 🧠. I think I may have ADHD as well after learning about some of your struggles, as well as, some other ASD/ADHDers struggles voiced in their videos. I always wondered why I can’t pick one super interest. Lol I get obsessed with things for days to weeks to months and then I may never go back to that endeavor. I’m never bored, which I find very good, and I’m the most curious person I know. Lol. Thanks again for the videos!

[@WilliamFontaineJr]

Well done both of you. Supergirl reminds me of my grandson 14. Confident not intimidated yet careful, and aware of where they belong and what they would appropriately do. The world is changing slowly for the better. Thanks.

[@Java-D]

It’s so nice to see an update of supergirl. 😊 I am also autistic without adhd and agree that we probably have a much easier time in life than those with autism and adhd (like my 8 year old).

[@jessicahedrick854]

So much this! Thank you. I am so grateful to hear about your experience and insights on ADHD, anxiety and autism. Initially taking the ADHD drugs, it felt like a miracle. Years later I'm exhausted by the sensitivity of the half treated AuDHD.

[@zayyyyy__y]

Supergirl is so well-spoken that I'm going to learn how to speak like that :)

[@briena8881]

Thank you, Ella and your eldest to opening up and talk about the experience of growing up autistic. It was immensely interesting and helpful for me as a parent. This is an insight into knowing as a child of being autistic but defining one's personality not on basis of that, but striving besides that because the parents know how to help their child overcome autistic challenges and help balancing out emotional pitfalls. I see a lot of similarities in how I was aged 10/11, before I started getting overwhelmed by self doubts and struggling with making schedules on my own, comparing my capacities with others, and so on. I had no pressure from my parents as my grades were average, but I had a huge pressure from within. I felt guilty every time I did something different than learning. But also learning didn't work out, I just piled up books and tasks by subjects, started and stopped (with all!) the moment I had a minor issue (f.e. not being able to solve an equation), so it was a lot of hours, days, weeks, months and finally years suffering. I got really depressed because I felt like I should be able to perform better, but I just didn't understand how. It was immense suffering for me, but also for my family who could just watch and didn't know what to do. If I had known back then at that age Supergirl is now WHY I failed so hard (visual learning, issues with acoustic information processing, social stuff), I probably wouldn't have considered myself unworthy to live. I saw myself as unrepairable broken inside. It's wonderful to see someone who made that journey through and still is on a positive path. Good luck to you!

[@SaoirseGraves]

Though I am late diagnosed, I come from a family of very intensely trained musicians (I am a violinist, one sister a cellist, the other a violist and so on) and I REALLY appreciated Super Girl's commentary around scheduling practice and the regularity of orchestral work etc. I have been identified as showing some characteristics of ADHD but I feel that a lot of the musical world would also work well with the technique of using micro-routines... which genuinely had not clicked with me before! Very edifying and helped me understand some things about my own past 💜💜💜

[@daniike7563]

She's so well spoken!

[@tashinaroberts8929]

loved this discussuon! supergirl is very well spoken and it makes me happy seeing a supportive and welcoming neurodivergent family like yours :)

[@eleni7546]

She's awesome! So well spoken and smart, reminds me of her cool mama :)

[@Crimsondream01]

I am diagnosed with autism and was diagnosed as an adult and I think recently I have come to the realisation I might have ADHD as well and trying to seek a diagnosis for ADHD

[@bacchira1251]

Thanks for sharing your perspective Supergirl. Indeed it's very interesting to listen to someone, who got the support and understanding needed from a very young age. I would love to hear your perspective more often.

[@LoveandSoul7]

Great conversation!! I love how she lights up when talking about music 🥰

[@anhaicapitomaking8102]

My ADHD was very submerged until a certain point. I would like to say just take care of yourself, but the reality is that we are targets of this society, and care for yourself is privilege. So yeah, try protect your privilege, as it can go away easier for us than for NTs.

[@helenm1085]

It's funny, the corner of Tumblr I'm familiar with is mostly neurodivergent. I used it as a teenager when nobody knew that about themselves, and now 10 years later everyone who's still on there is neurodivergent. People don't necessarily talk about their autism or ADHD a lot in the same way as tiktok, but that's possibly because it's less about "content creation", so topics don't get extensively analysed or reiterated in the same way.

[@candidlymish]

What a beautiful daughter you have there - a credit to you! ❤

[@mr.michealjackson2209]

I’m 14 I got diagnosed when I was 13 I love your channel you remind me of my mum your very comforting person :) ♥️ I relate a lot to super girl 💕 I like her hair!! I just cut my hair to my neck so I’m trying to grow it out lol Happy new year!! I also really enjoy cosplay! I go to loads of comic cons I think your daughter may enjoy them :) 😊

[@ilikepizza69]

Just a side note on getting diagnosed early on: I think that ALL public schools should have a trained autism expert that can observe and diagnose children at the school. That's all. Carry on :)

[@nanimalgirlEssie]

Thank you so much, Super Girl for participating in this video. It is honestly quite useful to other kids and parents and young adults.

[@katherineseager3363]

Thanks so much for sharing your experiences, Supergirl - this was a great video ☺️

[@QuackDragon]

Thank you brave girl!

[@minecraftandlegomaddness7761]

I have autism and adhd

[@margaretedwardnoseworthy415]

Hey you Are Not Alone.I have Autism I'm 16 years old boy And I have ADHD

[@lornajoy8765]

Why did Supergirl choose the french horn? That's quite an unusual instrument!!

[@rainashroff11]

shes so much like me except that I'm more like you ella with my adhd

[@dylanfrasier4054]

Where can I get that purple jacket??

[@babyprincessplayground4250]

Me to autism ddlg abdl age regression little space my channel