A Little Less Broken: How an Autism Diagnosis Finally Made Me Whole

One woman’s decades-long journey to a diagnosis of autism, and the barriers that keep too many neurodivergent people from knowing their true selves   By the time Marian Schembari was diagnosed with autism at thirty-four years old, she had been labeled with Tourette’s syndrome, obsessive-compulsive disorder, sensory processing disorder, anxiety, and depression. Therapists suggested she was a highly sensitive person, offered breathing techniques, and instructed her to practice gratitude journaling. None of this helped. She spent years hiding tics and frequently shutting down, wondering why she couldn’t just act like everyone else. It wasn’t until she witnessed a friend’s diagnosis and sought out professional testing that the pieces clicked into place. She wasn’t just odd or socially awkward, but actually autistic.Today, more people than ever are being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder later in life. Improvements in the ability to recognize the signs have made it easier to properl