Man diagnosed with autism aged 42 shares signs that were ‘misdiagnosed’ for years

A man has told how he was finally diagnosed with autism at the age of 42 after decades of being 'mislabeled, mismedicated, and misdiagnosed'.

Tyler Barnett recently went viral on TikTok after sharing an emotional video showing him celebrating finally getting the answers he has desperately searched for.

The dad sobbed as he told his 28,700 followers how he 'felt so relieved' after being diagnosed with autism and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder).

"Feeling so much relief...but so much grief for little me who deserved to know," he captioned the poignant post, which has racked up hundreds of thousands of views.

In the comment section, Tyler explained that he 'had to wait two months' for the results of 'intense psychological testing' he had undergone to gain a clinical diagnosis.

He told one social media user that he sought advice from ChatGPT, eventually 'self-diagnosed' himself and then got the news confirmed by health professionals.

Tyler, who hails from the US, has now opened up about how he previously lived his life 'feeling like an imposter' before his theories about why he felt different were finally validated.

He explained that there were signs of both autism and ADHD littered throughout his life, but believes people were 'not seeing the forest for the trees'.

The father-of-one recalled how he felt as though he was 'on the outside, just watching' when he was a child, while also feeling as though he 'didn't know how to fit in'.

Discussing one specific instance where he felt like this as a youngster, Tyler told People: "I was watching a group of kids link arms and jump up and down and laugh. They were doing something from a movie I hadn’t seen or something. I didn’t really understand why they were doing that or why it was fun, but I felt like I didn’t get it or didn’t know how to fit in."

The public relations specialist from California explained that authority figures in his life didn't recognise that he was struggling - so he instead spent everyday trying to 'make other people comfortable around him'.

"I was told I should be integrating with everyone else and something was basically wrong with me if I didn’t," Tyler said. "So I think that’s when the pretending started."

To avoid attracting attention to himself, Tyler said that he began imitating the behaviours of his peers.

He explained that he also struggled academically, but was 'somehow' able to pass tests 'by basically guessing the answers'.

Explaining he believes this was actually down to his 'strong autistic pattern recognition', Tyler added: "So I got by, didn’t act unusual and survived, but I was invisible from the outside.

"Internally, I was in so much pain, exhausted, confused, scared and hiding it all."

By the time he hit adulthood, he sought help for how he was feeling and was treated for anxiety and depression throughout his 20s.

But the medications he was prescribed proved more of a hindrance than a help, which ended up leading him down the path of addiction, while his mental health continued to spiral.

Tyler said doctors then diagnosed him with bipolar disorder in his 30s, which resulted in him being given even stronger medications - but they left him feeling like a 'zombie'.

The dad also spent a lot of time talking to therapists and specialists but always felt as though they were missing the 'core' issue, resulting in him repeatedly receiving the incorrect diagnosis.

The penny finally dropped after his 10-year-old daughter started 'regularly' suggesting that autism might be the source of Tyler's issues, prompting him to do some further digging via ChatGPT.

He explained he had never previously considered that he might be neurodivergent, but 'knew immediately' that he must be after seeing what the AI chatbot had to say.

Tyler then finally gained the answers he spent 42 years searching for last month, when he was diagnosed with level 1 autism and ADHD on 13 April.

Detailing how this has transformed his life, he said: "Once I got my diagnosis, I was taken off the bipolar meds and put on ADHD meds, which was a game changer.

"As I get back to my true self, I can see clearly I am perfect as I am. The world just couldn’t meet me where I was.

"Because when you understand autism and ADHD for exactly what they are, they can stop becoming a disability and become a superpower."