Age and autism

I am 63 and diagnosed autistic nearly a year ago. I am in full time employment.

Since diagnosis I have a support worker paid for by Access to Work and have had some adjustments made.

Unfortunately I also suffer from chronic anxiety. And this seems to be getting worse. Management at work seen to think that with the support worker O can turn off my autism.  I don't know whether autistic traits get worse with age but I am now too exhausted to put on an act. I thought I was getting on ok with work, completing the work I was given and not getting behind.

Then in the summer I was told that I was not doing enough and a workplace given to me.  The result was that I got extremely anxious with the extra tasks and fell behind with the tasks I had been completing, slowing down completely. On top of this orders were doing at me which I thought I was following but it seems like I was not.

On leave from work I returned to find a huge backlog and was called to the managers office. I was told to get the work caught up with in a week (a physical impossibility on my own) and then start on the workplace as I had been given adjustments so that now I had to show U could do 'all the tasks of the job'  or face the consequences. 

This week I was told that my behaviour was gross misconduct, I had disobeyed instructions and that if things did not improve O would be facing disciplinary procedures.  Such a caring employer I have.

I am on a committee at work involved with equality run by head office. We are supposed to get time off to go to the meetings. However the previous meeting I was told I had to Skype as there were too many off work.  So I did and did not enjoy the expwrience, it gave me anxiety through the day beforehand and frequently lost the signal when the time came for the meeting.  So for this meeting I thought if I booked Annual Leave I could go in my own time, I didn't have a problem with that but as it was on business U asked for the rail fare.  And idea!  I was told I could not go on business in my own time, and when I said I did it to save problems I was accused of being manipulative.  I asked if I could go in company time and was told no because they couldn't spare me. I was told that annual leave was for my well being although by refusing me permission to go to the meeting in my own time they are causing me huge anxiety so I would not enjoy the day off when I was looking forward to the meeting, it is the one thing that made me feel valued at work and going on my own time was no problem for me. 

I was told they have a duty of care.  But I am not incapable of leading my life, I understand timetables, can find my way around, get on the right train at the right time with no assistance. Yet I am treated like someone mentally sub normal.  Problems Autism gives me are that I have difficulty constantly changing tasks, cannot pick up easily when interrupted, sensory overload, having seemingly strange ideas which to me are logical and make sense.

Yet work seems instant on exploiting my weaknesses and not my strengths. And I believe I am being bullied.  And age just seems to make me less able to cope.