Retirement. For many, it’s a time to kick back, relax, and finally do all those things you never had time for. For me, it was a bit more complicated. After I was diagnosed with autism some two months after my 60th birthday, retirement was no longer just about how I might structure my leisure time. It became a whole new chapter of self-discovery, adjustment, and yes, a fair share of awkward moments. If you’re in the same boat, or just curious about how autism intersects with r

Long before my diagnosis of autism which I didn't receive until two months after my 60th birthday in 2020, I began to suppress specific mannerisms that my parents had deemed to be "annoying". I forced myself to stop wagging my fingers and to rapidly tap my foot in public. When speaking with others, I forced myself to make occasional eye contact instead of more comfortably staring over a person's shoulder. If a classmate were to tell a joke, I'd join the others in laughing

Getting a late-in-life autism diagnosis can be a major turning point in one's life depending upon how one uses the information. When I was clinically diagnosed some two months after my 60th birthday, I had a series of "ah-hah" moments as I reflected upon my life and understood how my autism had caused me to make the personal and professional choices I did at different metaphorical crossroads in my life. People who received a late diagnosis of autism have likely developed copi

94% of all children with autism have reported that they have been bullied. Over 46% have shared that they have been bullied on a frequent on-going basis. I cannot help but wonder if this bullying has contributed to self-loathing among some neurodivergents. Subreddits for autism abound with self-loathing posts. Since this social platform allows members to anonymously share feelings that they might not have otherwise shared in-person, many of these subreddits have become safe

Was it worth getting a clinical diagnosis? People have asked me whether I thought it was worth getting a clinical diagnosis. My answer has always been a resounding yes! While I cannot speak as to the motivations for other people who have sought an evaluation, I myself have always thought that it's better to know than to not know. The problem with self-diagnosis websites is that they're not infalliable. The symptoms that are common to people with autism are not unique to this

Although pediatricians in the United States now routinely test for autism during early childhood, this practice did not exist during my childhood in the sixties. Autism wasn't recognized as a valid diagnosis until 1980 after I had already turned twenty. It was first included as a standalone category under "infantile autism" in the third edition of the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III). As a teacher, I hadn't ev

Selfie, July 7, 2026 It’s two in the morning on Wednesday, July 8th, 2026. I am sitting at my computer and have logged into my YouTube Channel; The Yesterday Project. My most recent three minute short, “Vlad III, The Man Behind the Myth of Dracula,” still has another 28 minutes to load. My YouTube Channel, The Yesterday Channel, allows me to pursue my lifelong interest in history This is the reality of what “high-speed” internet looks like in rural Nevada. The promise made b

As individuals with autism transition into retirement, we often face unique challenges and opportunities. When I retired from teaching after 32 years, it was initially hard for me to accept being retired. Insofar as I had masked in order to teach, when the illusion of near-normalcy came off, I found that I didn't really know who I was. So much of my identity had been tied up with being the chef instructor of a high school Culinary Arts program that I didn't know who I was. Fo