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The discovery that he was autistic at the age of 70 gave Andrew Davies a sense of relief and confirmation that he had previously lacked, according to the former minister and Welsh Assembly member. Davies, who retired in 2019, had often felt that he did not fit in and struggled to understand other people. He only identified a possible autistic trait in his habit of becoming deeply invested in topics after a colleague had remarked on his similar behaviour, leading him to take an online questionnaire designed by Prof Simon Baron-Cohen.
The research has suggested that there could now be as many as 600,000 people in England aged over 50 who could be autistic but are undiagnosed. That would mean that more than 90% of autistic people over 50 remain undiagnosed. Such people could be lacking support for their mental health or struggling to communicate with employers or residential care professionals without a diagnosis. Meanwhile, autistic people have been found to be more likely to suffer depression than non-autistic people.
Dr Gavin Stewart, a research fellow at King’s College London, has said that therapists at older adult services should be better able to recognise indications of autism, and claimed that diagnosis can be a “lightbulb moment” for those who receive one.
Davies, once chairman of Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board, has said his previous discomfort around sights, smells and sounds had become more clear and more bearable since he discovered the reasons behind it. Nonetheless, he continues to experience bouts of depression and has reported difficulty processing social situations, including unfamiliar ones and large groups
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