Current:Home > FinanceTallulah Willis, Bruce Willis' daughter, shares she was diagnosed with autism last year -VisionFunds
Tallulah Willis, Bruce Willis' daughter, shares she was diagnosed with autism last year
View
Date:2025-04-14 04:28:16
Bruce Willis' daughter Tallulah has shared that she received a life-changing autism diagnosis as an adult.
Willis, 30, on Friday posted a throwback video on Instagram that showed her touching her father's head and playing with his ear as he held her at an event when she was a child. "Tell me your autistic without telling me your autistic," she wrote, adding a crying laughing emoji.
In the comments of the post, one follower asked Willis for more information, and she shared that she was only diagnosed as autistic last year. "Actually this is the first time I've ever publicly shared my diagnosis," she wrote. "Found out this summer and it's changed my life."
According to the National Institutes of Health, diagnosing autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in adults is often more difficult than in kids because certain symptoms can overlap with those of anxiety, ADHD and other disorders.
"Receiving a correct diagnosis of ASD as an adult can help a person understand past challenges, identify personal strengths, and find the right kind of help," the NIH says. "Studies are underway to determine the types of services and supports that are most helpful for improving the functioning and community integration of autistic transition-age youth and adults."
Adults who notice signs of ASD can receive an evaluation, in which an expert may ask about social interaction and communication challenges, sensory issues, repetitive behaviors and restricted interests, per the NIH.
Tallulah Willis'resented' looking like dad Bruce: How she copes with body dysmorphic disorder
Willis was responding to a comment from a user who identified themselves as a psychologist and wrote, "We catch undiagnosed ASD in girls and women quite often (they have unique presentations and often turn to other ways of coping to manage the dysregulation)." The follower added, "Not sure how much of your journey you’ve shared but would love to read more. You’re brave and inspiring and this is a very sweet video. All the best!"
Tallulah Willis is the youngest of three daughters whom Bruce Willis shares with ex-wife Demi Moore. He also has two children with his current wife, Emma Heming Willis.
The "Die Hard" star retired from acting after he was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia. In an essay for Vogue magazine published last year, Tallulah Willis reflected that she had "known that something was wrong for a long time" even before her father was diagnosed.
Tallulah Willison coping with dad Bruce Willis' dementia: 'Something was wrong for a long time'
In that essay, Willis said that she was diagnosed with ADHD after being admitted to a residential treatment facility to address her depression and later received a new diagnosis of borderline personality disorder. She also opened up about her four-year battle with anorexia nervosa.
"I admit that I have met Bruce's decline in recent years with a share of avoidance and denial that I’m not proud of," she wrote. "The truth is that I was too sick myself to handle it. … While I was wrapped up in my body dysmorphia, flaunting it on Instagram, my dad was quietly struggling."
If you or someone you know is struggling with body image or eating concerns, the National Eating Disorders Association's toll-free and confidential helpline is available by phone or text at 1-800-931-2237 or by click-to-chat message at nationaleatingdisorders.org/helpline. For 24/7 crisis situations, text "NEDA" to 741-741.
Contributing: Edward Segarra, USA TODAY
veryGood! (596)
Related
- Selena Gomez's "Weird Uncles" Steve Martin and Martin Short React to Her Engagement
- Horoscopes Today, January 23, 2024
- America is hitting peak 65 in 2024 as record number of boomers reach retirement age. Here's what to know.
- How do you stop Christian McCaffrey and other burning questions for NFC championship
- The Super Bowl could end in a 'three
- A divided federal appeals court won’t revive Texas online journalist’s lawsuit over 2017 arrest
- Philadelphia-area woman charged with torturing and killing animals live on the internet
- New York man convicted of murdering woman who wound up in his backcountry driveway after wrong turn
- Trump's 'stop
- Powerball jackpot at $145 million after January 22 drawing; See winning numbers
Ranking
- How to watch the 'Blue Bloods' Season 14 finale: Final episode premiere date, cast
- Martin Luther King Jr.’s Son Dexter Scott King Dead at 62 After Cancer Battle
- Sharna Burgess and Brian Austin Green's Rare Family Video of All 4 Kids Proves Life Is a Dance
- Rights center says Belarusian authorities have arrested scores of people in latest crackdown
- Federal Spending Freeze Could Have Widespread Impact on Environment, Emergency Management
- Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater Hold Hands While Taking Their Love From Emerald City to New York City
- Ed O'Neill says feud with 'Married… With Children' co-star Amanda Bearse was over a TV Guide cover
- Airbnb donates $10 million to 120 nonprofits on 6 continents through its unusual community fund
Recommendation
Don't let hackers fool you with a 'scam
What the health care sector is selling to Wall Street: The first trillion-dollar drug company is out there
Jennifer Lopez's Chin-Grazing Bob Is Her Most Drastic Hair Change Yet
Poland’s president pardons 2 imprisoned politicians from previous conservative government -- again
South Korea's acting president moves to reassure allies, calm markets after Yoon impeachment
Mississippi governor wants lawmakers to approve incentives for new economic development project
Will the Doomsday Clock tick closer to catastrophe? We find out today
These new synthetic opioids could make fentanyl crisis look like 'the good old days'