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Chris Packham has admitted he ‘loathed himself’ and ‘felt broken’ before he finally got his autism diagnosis at age 44.
The Springwatch host, 62, appeared on Tuesday’s Good Morning Britain with hosts Richard Madeley and Charlotte Hawkins, to raise awareness for World Autism Acceptance Week.
Chris, who struggled to understand why he was different in his teens, became aware of his diagnosis while he was dating a health care professional.
He said: ‘I grew up in the 60s and 70s when the condition wasn’t widely known, certainly by my parents and teachers. So by the time I’d got to the beginning of my teens, and certainly into the early part of my 20s, my mental health issues were quite considerable.
‘I loathed myself, I thought that I was broken. Clearly, I was in a lesser cohort than most other people, so I blamed myself for everything that was going wrong.
‘Young people can’t be in that position, if they’re going to work through education and find a fulfilling life, we need to put them on a firm foundation of confidence and support, and the diagnosis should be an access to that type of support.
‘So it’s not just about getting the diagnosis, it is about what follows from that.’
Having autism means a person’s brain works differently to normal. It’s not a disease and people have it from the moment they are born, although it may not be spotted until childhood and sometimes much later.
Autism exists on a spectrum. Some people will be able to lead fully functioning lives with no additional help. Others may need full-time assistance.
Classic signs of autism include trouble communicating, finding certain stimulations or situations overwhelming and repetitive behaviours.
He added: ‘I know a few people now that I knew when I was diagnosed, and they say that it’s quite considerably changed me, I’m much more confident to talk about my needs, my incapacities, and the things that I can do better.
‘I will put myself forward if there’s something which I am enabled to do by the condition.
‘And I will be far more frank and honest about the disabling aspects of it, from my point of view.
‘So there are certain things where they will be so challenging that I would rather not confront them.
‘And if that’s in a professional context, I would say “you know what, I’d rather not do that, because it won’t be good for me, it won’t be good for you, it won’t be good for us”.
‘This week is World Autism Acceptance Week, and what we’re trying to do is say that we wanted to develop a society where all autistic people can prosper. And that will only come if society understands what autism is about. And that’s why we have these sorts of conversations.’
The number of people waiting for a diagnosis on the NHS currently stands at more than 172,000.
Discussing how the long wait times will affect young children, he continued: ‘I was given my diagnosis when I was 44 years old.
‘So I was a functional adult by that stage, I’d come to terms with some of the conditions I’d learned to manage myself, I was working, not everything was bad.
‘For young people at the most vulnerable and formative parts of their lives, the difference between a diagnosis age nine and a diagnosis at age 12, 13, 14 is significant, because in that interim period they will not be getting a fulfilled education, they will not be getting the social support that they need.’
