The earlier you're diagnosed the better the outcome ?

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From entrez pubmed "Expressed emotion" "autism"

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?te ... 2autism%22 56 entries

Looks like this is an example right here where a label helps!

I know I went up a step or two functioning wise when I stopped living with my parents , and after a 22 month stay in a psych hospital left there with another patient who later became my wife .

Given my family?
If I was diagnosed as a child, it would be most likely be met with the same denial every my problem met and I would probably be highly pressured to prove I was "normal" by masking even more than I actually was, to fulfil this denial culture I grew up in.
Or I could have become the Identified Patient.

Nope, for me an early diagnosis would not be helpful. I think being diagnosed at 21 would be perfect in my case.

If my mothers reaction a couple of years ago is anything to go by its likely she would have burned any records of a diagnosis if it had happened against her will in childhood.

She moved us from a healthcare service after one professional suggested that I could have dyslexia.

Its likely my autism would have been seen as a negative reflection on her parenting and on of course her excellent genes.
She's better about it now, I refused to let her make it about her and had to make her face reality.

In my case, growing up undianosed was bad but being diagnosed might well have been worse. I might have thought I could never do many of the things I have done in life. I might have blamed myself for all of the bullying instead of blaming the bullies. The way I got treated at at home would likely have been even worse, and it was quite bad enough as it was.

My 2 year old grandson shows many of the early signs I've read about for autism (he talks so aspergers). I am self-diagnosed aspergers and can't read people, situations, and I'm really bad at guessing outcomes but here is my two cents worth...

I am very glad he is in a daycare and being socialized, exposed to chaos, etc at such a young age. He seems happy and I think he will be better adjusted because of the exposure. My NT son plays a game where he exaggerates his face and asks what he's feeling. The daycare reports examples of empathy and evidence of other "normal behaviour". Maybe my grandson has been diagnosed and my son just isn't telling me, and it looks they don't plan on telling him either. Good!

My other son has aspergers too most likely - not even 30 and head of R&D at a large company. He was always smart and a hard worker and I always gave him my encouragement and the tools to delve into his interests. I think he excelled because he could be himself, and our home was relaxing to him because of my sensory needs and aversions.

I think it's about the environment, not the diagnosis. And people need to stop thinking of it as being so negative.