Grief, Relief, and Belief: A Social Media Study on Late Identification of Neurodivergence.

The researchers deliberately collected only posts that talked about grief, so this study cannot say how common grief is after a late diagnosis, or what people who felt nothing, relief only, or something else experienced. Most posts came from autistic adults and adults with ADHD, typically those with lower support needs who post publicly. Other forms of neurodivergence, such as intellectual disability and Tourette syndrome, barely appear, so the picture is narrower than the title suggests. People who were never diagnosed, were misdiagnosed, or could not get an assessment are not represented at all. The authors say their shame and self-blame may be worse, but this study did not look at them. Each post is one person's account, the researchers could not confirm anyone's diagnosis, and the posts were gathered in a single two-month window in 2023, so the themes are a snapshot of what was being said online at that time.

The study was carried out as part of a PhD funded by the University of Edinburgh's College Research Award. The authors declared no conflicts of interest, and no company selling a treatment or assessment product was involved in the work.

These are public social media posts, not measurements, so do not read them as proof that late diagnosis causes grief or as evidence that any particular support helps. The researchers collected only posts that talked about grief, so the study cannot tell you how common that reaction is, and the people who were never diagnosed or could not get an assessment are missing from it entirely.