Wentworth Miller, best known for starring in the serial drama Prison Break, has revealed that he has autism. The 49-year-old actor opened up about his condition on Instagram Tuesday, said he received a formal diagnosis of autism a year ago, admitting that the news was “a shock but not a surprise”.
“This isn’t something I’d change,” he added.
The “Prison Break” star said on Instagram, “This isn’t something I’d change … immediately being autistic is central to who I am. To everything I’ve achieved/articulated.”
Autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), refers to a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication.
The actor, a graduate from Princeton University, said that he will now be “re-examining 5 decades of lived experience thru a new lens (sic)”
Miller also criticized the diagnostic process for adults, calling it “a long, flawed process in need of updating”
Say’s It was a long, flawed process in need of updating. IMO. I’m a middle-aged man. Not a 5-year-old.”
Miller adds, “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).”
Miller thanked people in his life who “consciously or unconsciously gave me that extra bit of grace + space over the years” and allowed him to “move thru the world in a way that made sense to me whether or not it made sense to them.”
The actor, who has been out since 2013, has been vocal about his struggles with mental health and how he tried to kill himself as a teenager.
