For as long as she could remember, she'd felt different. Her emotions were always intense. She was anxious a lot of the time. She struggled “massively” at school. But it wasn't until her son was diagnosed with autism that Wendy Bowley thought, “Maybe that's what I'm experiencing too.
The similarities between the things she and her son struggled with seemed like too much of a coincidence. “The shyness, the uncertainty, the strong emotions - I could just identify with him and his struggles” she says.
It's been two years since Wendy was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and finally having an explanation for her struggles is a relief. She can be kinder towards herself now, she says.
“I always felt like I was different, that I didn't fit in, Wendy (46) tells YOU. “But I never would have thought it was autism if it wasn't for my son's diagnosis. There's such a lack of understanding about autism. The perception is that it has to be really bad for you to be diagnosed but that's actually inaccurate”
ASD is a condition related to brain development and affects a person's ability to communicate and interact.
Paediatric neurologist Dr Adri Van Der Walt says people with autism process information differently.
“People with autism also struggle to express themselves. They take things extremely literally and can be extremely rigid Van der Walt says.
“So, for them, things are black and white – there's no grey area. But they are not all the same. It presents differently in different patients.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة 10 March 2022 من YOU South Africa.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة 10 March 2022 من YOU South Africa.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
DIDDY'S DISGRACE
A video showing singer Cassie being attacked by Sean Diddy Combs reveals the disturbing reality of their relationship
THE BABY-FACED ASSASSIN
Manchester City’s Phil Foden is fast becoming one of the top talents in the English Premier League
OODLES OF POODLES
Kaz’s latest dog show triumph is the culmination of years as one of the world’s top trainers of the breed
MY LIFE IS PURE HELL
A reader wrote to YOU recounting her harrowing experience of living with a narcissist for decades. Pieter Van Zyl relays her story
THE LOTTO CURSE
Over the years Andy Carter has helped 2 000 lottery winners adapt to life as newly minted millionaires. Here he shares the worst mistakes he’s seen people make and reveals why instead of being a passport to freedom, a jackpot win can actually make things far more complicated
IT'S NOT YOU IT'S ADHD
We ask experts to explain the rise in late diagnosis of the condition in women
BITTER SWEET
Arina was diagnosed with cancer while carrying her miracle baby and made the tough choice to start chemo while pregnant
SHE'S GOT THE POWER
Monica Lewinsky was on suicide watch after the humiliating Bill Clinton scandal, but she has now turned her life around and become a force to be reckoned with
IT'S ALL OVER!
For 26 years she was the Bok coach’s support system on the side lines – travelling with him for work, taking care of the kids and celebrating his world cup victories. Now Rassie and Nicolene have divorced
JUST NO WAY THIS IS GOING TO WORK!
Separate houses, time apart, fundamental differences – fears are mount for Ben and Jen’s marriage