Collage of photographs of the Munroe, Schiehallion in Highland Perthshire
Note: Photographs taken by the author.
“The thing to be known grows with the knowing” (Shepherd, 2011)
Autism and our knowledge of it have grown and developed from a medical diagnosis to a state of being, which translates into lived experience. Autism is experienced through the human lifespan and like the living mountain “grows with the knowing.” The knowledge of Autism has developed from a medical deficit condition to a natural variation (Huang, Arnold, Foley, & Trollor, 2024). I have included this montage of pictures that I have taken over several years of Schiehallion, in Highland Perthshire. It is also known as the Fairy Mountain, perhaps a link here to folklore and Autism (Leask J, 2005). The pictures were taken in different seasons and at different times of the day, representing a lifespan.
As autism is defined as a neurodevelopmental condition and is characterised by social interaction and communication differences, in conjunction with recurring behavioural patterns, a preference for predictability and difference in sensory processing (Hull, 2017), these traits can be found in throughout the human population. Autism is therefore as complex as the human population. There are no set lifespan and pathway. Each individual needs to be viewed sensitively whilst respecting their dignity and humanity.
The pre-school child will have very different needs to the child in education as will the young adult entering the word of work. Oli diagnosed at 11 and now a careers advisor says “We can impact a student’s entire adult life based on the words we say and the value of the knowledge we impart” (National Autistic Society, 2026). It is so important the people receive the right advice and support that is tailored to their needs at every stage of there lives, this helps to reduce stigma and promotes inclusion. Oli had been told by a careers advisor that autistic people did not have to work (National Autistic Society, 2026)!
In my coaching practice, under the Access To Work Scheme (UK Government, 2026) , I am often dealing with people (18-25) entering the world of work from education, who are finding it hard to transition from formal education to the less structured workplace. Here I find executive functioning challenges, camouflaging/ masking (Hull, 2017), which often leads to exhaustion and burnout. Often, they have identity issues, and my role is to help them see their natural variation and I help them build structure at work and to normalise the gap between ability and performance in the workplace.
For those who are older (25-50) I often find my clients are very competent at their roles, which are often built around their strengths, but they are often suffering from chronic masking and often find that there is conflict with management, this is often values based. Here I am working with people who may be diagnosed or more increasingly self- diagnosed, who are working in employment environments that do not support them.
In clients over 50 I often see people who are reinterpreting their lives in the light of their diagnosis or self-diagnosis and who are making sense of their natural variation and are looking for more meaningful alignment with their values and are less tolerant with masking and camouflaging. Which often brings a high level of fatigue due to cognitive overload.
Autism doesn’t go away but the challenges that it brings could be lessened in older age. Autism and old age is an area that is less well researched but despite comorbidity issues in terms of other neurodivergent conditions and various other physical and mental health conditions, positive outcomes can be attained (Perkins & Beckman, 2012). Perhaps in the journey of life, reframing and self-discovery does lead to the“knowing”?
Huang, Y., Arnold, S., Foley, K.-R., & Trollor, J. (2024). A Qualitative Study of Adults’ and Support Persons’ Experiences of Support After Autism Diagnosis. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 1157–1170.
Hull, L. P.-C.-C. (2017). “Putting on my best normal”:Social camoflaging in adults with autism spectrum conditions. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2519-2534.
Leask J, L. A. (2005). Evidence for autism in folklore? Archives of Disease in Childhood , 271.
National Autistic Society. (2026, 03 15). Stories-from-the-spectrum-sharon-and-ryan. Retrieved from www.autisim.org.uk: https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/stories/stories-from-the-spectrum-sharon-and-ryan
Perkins, E. A., & Beckman, K. A. (2012). Into the Unknown: Aging with Autism Spectrum Disorders. AMERICAN JOURNAL ON INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES, 478-496.
Shepherd, N. (2011). The Living Mountain. Edinburgh: Canongate.
UK Government. (2026, April 6). Access to Work: get support if you have a disability or health condition. Retrieved from Gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/access-to-work