Letícia Sabatella talks about late diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder at age 52: “liberating feeling”
The actress Letícia Sabatella discovered late, at the age of 52, that she suffers from autism spectrum disorder (ASD). She revealed the story on the “Papagaio Falante” podcast. The actress is still trying to understand the discovery and spoke to Fantástico about the diagnosis.
Letícia Sabatella recalled the difficulties of fitting in at school, how she sometimes feels misunderstood and the discomfort that noise brings. (see video above)
The diagnosis brings relief to those who have felt different and misunderstood throughout their lives.
— Leticia Sabatella
Without knowing it, Letícia Sabatella protected herself from a young age. The daily ballet lessons, the visits to concerts and cinemas, the books and the theater, which she had been involved with since she was 14, all ultimately helped the actress to deal with the difficulties that arose.
According to the actress, the feeling after receiving the diagnosis was “liberating” and helped her understand her sensory hypersensitivity.
“There are times when I feel sick, it feels like a seizure,” he says.
What is Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)?
According to pediatric neurologist José Salomão Schwartzmam, ASD is, by definition, a developmental disorder that exists from birth. However, this does not mean that it manifests itself obviously and early. Diagnosis is made through interviews and behavioral observations.
The major risk of late diagnosis is that untreated symptoms lead to comorbidities such as depression and anxiety.
There are three levels of intensity of ASD, and if the diagnosis is made late, it is almost always Level 1 because the features are mild and can go unnoticed for a long time. Like Letícia Sabatella, Tamilla Pinho discovered that she was on the spectrum as an adult.
After one of her children was diagnosed, she decided to examine herself. “I always ate the same thing for lunch, breakfast and dinner, always the same food group. I always had rituals with schedules, I was inflexible when there were delays. Within a minute I lost patience, I became very angry,” he says.
Ayla Bragança has been working with children at TEA for 19 years and even earned a master’s degree to better understand her students. During the course, a teacher discovered that she was on the spectrum. She was diagnosed two years ago at the age of 36.
“She was watching my demands and the stories I was telling her about excessive concern for others, about very latent sensory issues, so this teacher started telling me: It’s possible you’re on the spectrum,” he says.
This motivated her to start a support group for people on the autism spectrum in the city of Rio Bonito in Rio de Janeiro. Around 200 people take part in “Autismo Rio Bonito”, almost all of them are mothers.
“Our everyday life consists of a lot of therapy, almost every day, from driving to school and working as a doctor, and sometimes we don’t have time to be ourselves. We have to be mothers 100%, 24 hours a day,” says Daniela Severo, housewife and member of the group.
Listen to Fantástico podcasts: