‘We most often hear about children being diagnosed with autism, but when that diagnosis is missed at an early age, it can be a hard road to make it happen later in life. One person who has firsthand experience with this is Tallulah Willis, whose famous parents are Demi Moore and Bruce Willis. Tallulah was diagnosed with autism at the age of 29, and in a new interview, she’s sharing what it was like for her, along with the ways she struggled before she knew why she felt “very broken.”
More from CafeMom: Hayden Panettiere Says She Became Agoraphobic When She Gained 40 Pounds After Brother’s Death
Tallulah said she was misdiagnosed for years before she found out what was really going on.
Unfortunately, as she pointed out during an appearance on the Today show on Wednesday, it’s all too common for this to happen to women. In fact, according to UCLA Health, almost 80% of autistic women still haven’t been diagnosed when they turn 18. That means that it’s new to Tallulah, so she’s still learning about the condition.
“It’s only been in the last year that I’m learning what the terms are and regulating because I’m very high functioning autistic, and my struggles are more in sensory, so being very sensitive to the world, and rather than more commonly people assume it’s communication,” she said.
She felt 'relief' when she finally found out that she has autism.
“If I’m being honest, I really hated myself, and I thought I was very broken, so to learn that the elements of myself that I felt were maladies or wrong or just too much for this world are actually OK, and they just require maybe a little bit more tools,” she said.
Tallulah admitted that it was a “very emotional” experience for her. After so many years of being misdiagnosed, there’s no doubt that this was a big moment for her.
Tallulah publicly shared her diagnosis for the first time this year.
Back in March, Tallulah shared a video clip of herself with her dad on the red carpet when she was a kid. As Bruce is talking, Tallulah is stroking his head. In her caption, she wrote, “tell me your autistic without telling me your autistic.”
She followed up in a comment, “Actually this is the first time I’ve ever publicly shared my diagnosis. Found out this summer and it’s changed my life.”
More from CafeMom: Sarah Huckabee Sanders Takes a Dig at Kamala Harris for Not Having Biological Children
She also opened up earlier this year about how she wants to raise more awareness around autism.
While talking to People in June, Tallulah said that her goal is “supporting women who are more commonly misdiagnosed.”
“As I was diagnosed later in life with autism, I’m still exploring how it affects my life and how I see it present in my day-to-day,” she told the news outlet. “Prior to my diagnosis, I noticed that my extreme sensitivity with my five senses — I’ve had a heightened sense of taste, smell, touch, sight and hearing since I was a child — was not as common for everyone else.”
She has embraced this part of her.
This October, Tallulah is set to be honored at the Autism Speaks gala being held in Los Angeles. Other celebrities will be in attendance at the event, including Sarah McLachlan, Alyssa Milano, and Kristen Chenoweth.
Good for Tallulah for speaking up about something so personal but so important. There are undoubtedly many people who will feel less alone after hearing her share her experience.
