This Morning’s Scott Miller has opened up on his health diagnosis after a test at the age of 47, with both of his children also having the condition

Dr Scott Miller(Image: ITV)

This Morning’s resident vet Scott Miller has opened up about being diagnosed with autism at the age of 47.

Scott, now 50, said his life had come crashing down when he had received the diagnosis.

Speaking out on World Autism Day, he revealed that he sought diagnosis after two of his four children were identified as autistic.

He also candidly discussed the challenges he faces in his television role on This Morning due to being autistic.

“I could relate to certain elements of that diagnostic journey and some of the personality traits,” shared Scott, who is a father to Summer, Quinn, Jackson, and Riley with his wife Zö Christien.

“Initially my life was thrown up in the air and came crashing down but after a while, it was a good filter to be able to look back and forgive the child that struggled socially.

“It explains a lot of mistakes that I may have made with regards to social situations and reading between the lines – that’s not my specialist subject.”

Scott also opened up about how his diagnosis has shed light on why he finds certain aspects of working on This Morning challenging, such as attending award ceremonies. “I’m not a big fan of groups of people that I don’t know,” he admitted.

“I go to the National Television Awards for This Morning but I’d much rather be going with the crew and all of our lovely producers.”

He added: “So many times at the NTAs, I’ve just found out where they’re hanging out because it’s much better than hanging out with all these people I don’t know,” reports the Mirror.

“I also don’t like places that are really loud or sudden loud noises. I’m a bit sensitive to those.

“Weird quirks that I think most people have but it was a sum of all the parts. My experience of childhood was really hard. It was exhausting and difficult and sad in a lot of ways.”

Despite facing challenges as a child, Scott encourages his children with autism to view their condition as a unique advantage.

“I refuse to think of it as a disability and there are some people on the spectrum that do struggle but I say to my kids that it’s like a superpower,” he expressed.

“The benefit of autism is that you can learn and you can learn pretty good.”

Scott revealed his autistic son didn’t say his first words until he was four years old, and now his youngest daughter speaks using Gestalt patterns, which involve echoing phrases.

“She does incredible things – she looked at a pyramid of blocks the other day and just went, ’21.’ Me and the teacher counted and there were 21,” he explained.

“When she was 18 months, I was in the spa tub with her and she had these six-sided blocks.

“She had put the blocks top to bottom and when I looked closer, she had matched all of the sides, all the way around.”

Just like This Morning’s Autism Assistance dog Buddy, Scott has discovered that his dogs, Mango and Ludo, have been a tremendous support for his family.

He expressed, “A dog is a friend even if you don’t have any other friends in your life,” highlighting the unconditional love they provide.

He believes that for many, whether autistic or not, this bond can be the most significant relationship in their lives.

Scott explained the role his dogs play during challenging times: “There are times when the children suffer with dysregulation – so they’re unable to control their emotions and they have a meltdown.

“It’s at moments like these when the dogs are like an anchor for their emotions. If they see the animal there and they look aware and alert to the situation, they have a calming ability.”

He also shared a personal anecdote: “One thing that Mango does to me a lot is that when he thinks I’m a little stressed, he puts his foot on my knee. It’s just a lovely moment for all of us.”

Raising awareness about autism is a cause close to Scott’s heart as he navigates his own “journey of discovery” following his diagnosis.

He reflected on the misunderstandings surrounding the condition: “It’s invisible. You can be branded as naughty or disruptive or obnoxious.

“I remember being called all of those things but I never felt that I was being what people said.”

His diagnosis has brought him clarity, as he concluded, “It’s made me a better person because I didn’t realise before that I had a reason for struggling.”