Looking for advice

Hi everyone. I have recently been diagnosed with autism at the grand old age of 29. To be honest, that suddenly makes huge parts of my life make sense. The problem is I now have no idea what to do with that information, all my googling assumes I want info on children and I'm feeling lost and overwhelmed with everything. Does anyone have any advice that might help me come to terms with it? I know sticking a label on the problems I've always had doesn't change anything about who I am, but it still feels huge.

  • Thanks everyone,  it's really great not to feel so alone x

  • Dear Dancetheghost,

    You may find the following leaflet which you can download from our website useful:

    http://www.autism.org.uk/about/diagnosis/adults/after.aspx

    If you have any other questions, or wanted some advice, you may like to contact our Autism Helpline team. They can provide you with information and advice on your issue. You can call them on 0808 800 4104 (Monday to Thursday 10am to 4pm, Friday 9am to 3pm).Please note that the Helpline is experiencing a high volume of calls and it may take a couple of attempts before you get through to speak to an advisor.

    Hope you will find this helpful,

    Federica-Mod

  • There aren't a lot of services out there for adults at the higher functioning end of the spectrum (which I'm assuming you are since you're diagnosis has been long after childhood) as the limited services available in some areas of the country are directed at adults requiring things such as sheltered housing / daily carers / day care facilities etc. Unfortunately this appears to mean that we're also left to find our own information with which to make sense of our new diagnosis and that is difficult to source for the same reasons - most leaflets and books discuss the lower functioning end of the spectrum or children / teenagers / parents / carers. 

    This forum is the best resource I've found as it not only 'normalises' what feels very strange at first because you get to meet such a variety of different people on here and (I at least) relate to so many of the different things discussed here.

    If you hang around, including reading old posts, there is a mine of information from much more experienced 'Aspie's' including many really useful and informative links to things such as books, research papers, other chat forums, and blogs etc. 

    The rest of this site does offer links to things too such as possible services and resources in your area. Good Luck and, as Blade said, take it slowly. From my experience, when the information starts flowing in it's all too easy to become max-ed out with it all.   

  • I think my biggest advice would be to take it slowly, rather than trying to 'do anything' with the information specifically.

    Over time, you'll come to see bit by bit how it all truly affects you. It took me a good year after my diagnosis to really make sense of everything, even after endless research before my diagnosis, and it took even longer to make adjustments to my life based on all of that new knowledge. I would say it probably took 16 months or so (post-diagnosis) before I felt like I understood everything and had really discovered who I was.

    Focus on your strengths, accept your limitations and allow yourself the adjustments that will benefit you.

  • I am so far self-diagnosed.

    I was referred for an assessment for the official diagnosis. Still waiting.

    I agree, huge parts of the life suddenly make sense. The same happened to me.

    It feels huge. I have the same experience.

    I see it as a positive having the label.

  • I am about to start the process.  I see it as a positive having the label.  You are afforded protection at work and can get access to services you need.  Admittedly you might have to fight for it. 

    Let your mind accept it and work with it.