Prison Break star Wentworth Miller has opened up about his autism diagnosis in a new social media post.
Taking to his Instagram, the 49-year-old actor talked about discovering his diagnosis during the quarantine.
“Like everyone, life in quarantine took things from me. But in the quiet isolation, I found unexpected gifts,” he began.
“This fall marks the year since I received my informal autism diagnosis. Preceded by a self-diagnosis. Followed by a formal diagnosis.
“It was a long, flawed process in need of updating. IMO. I’m a middle-aged man. not a 5-year old. Let’s just say it was a shock. But not a surprise.”
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability that affects a person’s social interactions and communication.
According to the National Autistic Society, one in 100 people is on the autism spectrum.
Miller went on to say that even though he’s shared the news with fans, it doesn’t mean his platform will solely be “dedicated” to his diagnosis.
“I don’t know enough about autism. (There’s a lot to know.) Right now my work looks like evolving my understanding. Re-examining 5 decades of lived experience thru a new lens,” he explained.
“Meanwhile, I don’t want to run the risk of suddenly being a loud, ill-informed voice in the room. The #autistic community (this I do know) has historically been talked over.
“Spoken for. I don’t wish to do additional harm. Only to raise my hand, say, “I am here. Have been (w/o realizing it).”
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He also said that, in the meantime, he will he educate himself on autism and neurodiversity and forward his followers to other “individuals sharing thoughtful + inspiring content.”
“These creators (some quite young) speak to the relevant issues more knowledgeably/fluently than I can. (They’ve been schooling me as well.),” he said.
The Legends of Tomorrow actor ended his insightful post by thanking the people in his life who supported him over the years.
“I also want to say to the many (many) people who consciously or unconsciously gave me that extra bit of grace + space over the years, allowed me to move thru the world in a way that made sense to me whether or not it made sense to them… thank you,” he wrote.
Shortly after uploading his announcement, fans and his fellow industry peers sent praises and support.
13 Reasons Why star Brandon Flynn commented a heart on the post.
In another comment, a fan opened up about their own diagnosis and called the actor’s post “comforting.”
“Thank you for this. Got my autism diagnosis at 30 years old, and it was a peculiar gift, really. Your voice, about this, is so comforting. So, so comforting.”
Related: Being trans and on the autism spectrum, younger me struggled to fit in.
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