Theresa Werba tells the story of growing up in the 1960s as an undiagnosed female on the autism spectrum. She relates the unique challenges and struggles throughout her life as well as her achievements, her misdiagnosis, and her ultimate diagnosis with Autism Level 1/Asperger's Syndrome at the age of 53. It is a story of courage, self- understanding, discovery, and vindication.
"Would you believe I was in my mid-50s before I finally figured out what my real problem was? Like many females on the autism spectrum, we are often mis-diagnosed early in life with other neurodivergent conditions, such as AHD or bipolar disorder. I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in my 20s but it wasn't until I was 53 that I was finally diagnosed with Level 1 Autism, formerly known as Asperger's Syndrome.
This is the story of my life from the perspective of a little preschool girl who nobody knew how to handle, to a school-age girl who was the smartest, and most talkative, and most disruptive kid in the class, to a blooming teenage singer and writer, to the mental illness of adulthood, and through to my autism diagnosis in middle age.
Finding out I was autistic ended up providing great relief to me, because it explained so many things about my life that made so sense. Why, with grey hairs abounding, do I still have problems when people ask me, "How are you?" Why did I have the reputation as "Mrs. Blabbermouth" in 5th grade? Why did my adoptive parents abuse me and not try to get me evaluated? Why do I still struggle to this day with the give-and-take of everyday conversation?
I hope my story will be something that resonates with anyone on the autism spectrum, but particularly with older females like myself, who have had a diagnosis later in life, after years of medications and trials and many, many errors. I hope my frank and honest account will be a source of camaraderie and comfort to all who read it."