Melanie Sykes has revealed that she has been diagnosed with autism at the age of 51. In an email to readers of her magazine, The Frank, Sykes opened up about her diagnosis, describing it as ‘life-changing' and telling readers how her life experiences - both personal and career wise - have finally begun to make sense.
'As many of you may or may not know, I was diagnosed with autism late Thursday afternoon,' the TV presenter wrote. 'And then, finally, so many things made sense... this week has been truly life-changing, or rather, life-affirming.’
Sykes went on to say she would be celebrating her diagnosis, and that it had come as a relief after a lifetime of experiences she couldn't understand.
‘I’ve been vulnerable to abusive people, I’ve been vulnerable to people that lie because I only see and take on board what people tell me,' she explained. 'I’ve always been a bit funny with jokes, if somebody tells me something with a deadpan delivery I believe them.’
Sykes has also spoken on Loose Women about her diagnosis, saying that autism needs to stop being called a disorder. 'They call it a disorder which needs to get scrapped because it isn’t the things I can’t do, it’s the things I can do,' she said. (The NHS recognise autism as 'autism spectrum disorder'.)
Though Sykes says she’s mostly celebrating her diagnosis and is pleased by the ah-ha moment she’s received from it, she’s also disappointed at how long the diagnosis has taken. In a video on her Instagram, Sykes explained how the conversation about autism came up when she was making a documentary about the failures of the education system, especially for children who are autistic. Feeling intrigued by the subject, she decided to a self-identifying autism assessment.
Now, she's left with 'a sense of relief about it and a sense of mourning,' Sykes says. 'Not because I don’t want to be who I am, it’s that I wish I’d known sooner so I could have understood exactly why things were rolling the way they were rolling.’
This feeling of mourning is all-too-familiar for most women with autism. According to the National Autistic Society, since more men and boys are currently diagnosed as autistic than women and girls, the public narrative surrounding autism is very male-led. It means our general understanding of autism excludes autistic women, how their symptoms present differently compared to men, and causes many to go undiagnosed due to missed signs in childhood.
This isn’t just a problem with autism. In general, the way we look at healthcare is male-orientated. A Nature Communications study found that on average, it takes women four more years to get diagnosed with the same conditions as men, and another study revealed women are more likely to be misdiagnosed than men - again, for the same conditions.
'I wish I’d known sooner so I could have understood exactly why things were rolling the way they were rolling.’
A big part of the mourning Sykes speaks of is the realisation that help could have been available for life-long struggles if the diagnosis had not gone unnoticed.
For example, Sykes says there were certain struggles in her career - especially when she was broadcasting - which were difficult in previously unexplainable ways. Now, she understands that autism had a lot to do with her ‘sensitivities’ in the television workplace and has the language to explain that to others.
‘The sensitivities around working in television have come up,' Sykes explained. 'I have always struggled with earpieces, what they call talkback, where you hear what the director says. I have often accidentally responded to the director in my ear, live on air, as I cannot juggle the person I am interviewing and the person in my ear at the same time.
‘My memory has always been problematic,' she continued. 'Remembering pieces to-camera could spin me out, resulting in sleepless nights beforehand. There have been many tears of fear and frustration.' Memory issues are a common symptom of autism in women.
Though Sykes has still sustained a long and happy career, the same unfortunately can’t be said for a lot of autistic people. Adjust Services says ‘autistic people are valuable in the workplace, but without the support they require, they can flounder at work’ and a report by the National Autistic Society found that 43% of autistic people have left or lost a job because of their autism.
Sadly, as with many women’s health issues, there is a severe lack of scientific research into women and autism, how it affects their personal and working lives. What Sykes’ story shows is that more awareness is needed around this important topic.
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