"You can't have it, you would know by now if you did".

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I see this type of thinking a lot on YouTube, and this goes for any kind of condition usually. There seems to be this subgroup that holds this idea that if someone was diagnosed in adulthood- they don't actually have it. I see this a lot on ADHD discussions. Then there are the individuals who "don't believe in learning disorders/differences" and blame "simple laziness".

Their argument seems to be "But the person in the video said they were diagnosed in adulthood, but if they really had it then it would've been pointed out when they were a young child, so they must be making their condition to be worse than it actually is" and personally I hate this kind of thinking, it just seems so backwards to me.

So, I'd like to address a few things here. First- in this sentiment it implies that struggling in childhood and showing symptoms automatically equals quick diagnosis. I find that to be false. Sure, for some individuals their difficulties are quickly picked up on, and yes- diagnosed. However this isn't always the case. Sometimes symptoms are pointed out, but seeking diagnosis is considered less favourable. Personally, whenever I would ask about looking into getting a dyscalculia diagnosis- teachers would try to convince me not to. I can partly understand why, some teachers worry about labelling kids with anything because they fear that it might negatively affect the child's confidence (which may cause the child to give up trying because they worry they are incapable in the subject due to what the diagnosis says).

But at the same time, I do wish that I'd been tested when I was child because then maybe I could've gotten some help instead of crying in frustration at maths homework, feeling hopeless and stupid.

The argument also doesn't take into consideration that not everyone will know about a condition in question, so even if a child shows symptoms, these symptoms might not be picked up on by others, or simply misdiagnosed as something else. Sometimes educators would try to convince me that I just had "maths anxiety", but that just never seemed right to me. I wasn't anxious , I was frustrated with myself. Besides, anxiety doesn't just come from nowhere- being anxious at something, you'd think perhaps that there's an underlying reason for feeling that way that isn't just "AAAAAAAAHHHH, the presence of numbers!", although then again there is a phobia of numbers (for some it's specific numbers, for others it's just numbers in general), so perhaps some people do feel anxious for that very reason. I don't though.

Anyway, I've been thinking about this subject lately because it looks like I'll be going through testing in the near future, and since I'm 18- if I do get a diagnosis then it'll technically be occurring in adulthood for me. I think it's kind of a shame that some people don't take people with learning disabilities and/or developmental issues seriously when they reveal that they were diagnosed whilst being an adult. Especially with conditions like dyscalculia because it's still a relatively unknown condition, some argue that it's a type of dyslexia but personally I think it's a separate issue because you can have difficulties with numbers and measurements without necessarily having any issues with reading words or spelling them. I know that dyslexia and dyscalculia often co-occur in an individual, but it is possible to have one and not the other. My dad is dyslexic, but he doesn't think I'm dyslexic at all. I've never had a problem with words, it's just numbers that don't like me much.

What are your thoughts on the subject?

That kind of thinking does sound backwards...

I had symptoms of Asperger's as a child and it was pointed out multiple times by school counselors but at the time my parents didn't even believe in that kind of thing, or any sort of disorder at all so nothing was ever done about it. Even though, after a while, I became completely mute and stopped taking care of myself due to other issues. I still struggle, and I struggle even more as an adult. I'd imagine it's similar for others. They may not be able to discern what's wrong exactly and don't have the resources to have it addressed until later.

It's nonsense. What if you/your caregivers weren't aware of the condition? What if your doctors weren't aware or knowledgeable enough to diagnose?

I was diagnosed much later than 18. There are stories of people being diagnosed well into old age, e.g. as in this book:

Very Late Diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome (Autism Spectrum Disorder)
How Seeking a Diagnosis in Adulthood Can Change Your Life
Philip Wylie

You can also get buried by the accumulation of debris you acquire and you only get onto exploring the possibility of autism once you unravel other layers, I barely knew what the hell autism was until I had to peel away the murky minefield and separate... I had extensive therapy prior to making a decision to probe further onward. I didn't know much about my brain until it was the only choice I had. I had been motoring along quite bleakly on a dreadful drone all my life, a frigid form of autopilot just about getting to one place from the other until I couldn't cope with it anymore and broke down. I can fully accept people at sixty or seventy can be diagnosed as autistic and be quite shocked. I prefer to trust those who are informed and have little interest in those who are misinformed.