Tallulah Willis believed she was “lazy” before being diagnosed as autistic.
The 30-year-old actress revealed in March that testing had confirmed she is neurodiverse and while it is “really powerful” to be able to articulate her needs now, it took her some time to accept herself for who she is.
She told Britain’s HELLO! Magazine: “The first line that said, ‘You are level one autistic’ [on the assessment], it still didn’t feel real.
“I thought someone would take it away or invalidate it and tell me I was wrong, that I was lying, and that this wasn’t true…
“I had to give myself a little bit of grace first.
“I really believed these truths from the world that I was less than, lazy, not operating the right way,
“Then, when I got my diagnosis, I thought, ‘Am I allowed to let go of all that self-judgement?’
“And yes, I just needed a different tool kit, but it took me a minute.
“But there was definitely a joy in sharing.”
Tallulah – who is the daughter of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis – praised her older sisters, Rumer, 36, and 33-year-old Scout, for their support in helping her navigate her condition.
She said:” They have encouraged me to ask for what I need in situations where I’m more used to masking.
“Them saying. ‘Hey it’s OK to take a beat and ask, “Is this OK? What do I need at this moment? Am I overwhelmed?” ’ opened up a space for me to speak up, because there was a fear of being labelled as high-maintenance or difficult.”
And Tallulah has learned how to better look after herself.
“I can speak up for what I need and know what I need.
“I would have days when I thought I was sick all the time but now I know that I need to be conscious of how I spend my energy.
“In the run-up to this year’s Autism Speaks gala, knowing that it was going to be an exciting night, I spent the previous two days doing low-impact activities so that I wasn’t overcooked by it.
“The diagnosis gave me permission to not have to fight through things all the time.”
