I was diagnosed as a middle-age adult (we grew up not well off, so paying for doctors appointments for then little-known conditions was not an option when I was a kid). I tell the story of my diagnosis on next week's podcast.
I think the things that appeal to a lot of people, besides the fact that theme parks are fun:
- With enough time, you can understand everything in the bubble. You know where everything is, you know what happens there, and you know what to expect.
- It is endlessly detailed and you can focus on it for yearsssss and still learn things.
- The environment is friendly, non-judgemental, and nobody expects you to sit still for hours, like in school. Heck, you're literally encouraged to get up and dance sometimes.
Obviously, it's going to be different for everyone.
On the day it closed, I got to ride Snow White's Scary Adventures with
Ben and his dad, Ron. It was one of Ben's 3,500 rides on that attraction. I got the sense from Ron that the familiarity was very comforting to Ben. (Also, I asked Ron how he managed to pass the time on the ride and he said he imagined it with other characters, like Stitch, to make it go faster.)
ETA: I expect me saying I'm on the spectrum will be exactly zero surprise to anyone who's ever met or heard me.