Transition to uni

Hi, I only found this forum last night and already feeling some relief and not so hopeless. 

Our 17 year old daughter got diagnosed with ASD in July 2020 after a number of years of ‘ wanting to die’ voices in her head and the usual not many friends.  I wrongly assumed the diagnosis would of gained us some concrete help and support.  I would have said Aspergers but got told that it’s now all ASD 

She is a very bright, funny, sensitive and beautiful young lady who amazes us every day with her strength.  A model well behaved child/baby. 

She has had 4 offers from gold standard universities, ready for sept 2021  most of which are 3/4 hours away.  Even though we will miss her dreadfully we want very much for the world to be her oyster.  But I am struggling with the fact it would be quite far away when she has an episode of sadness, no motivation and feelings of not being able to go on which happen from time to time. We have had no offers of support , her counsellor has stopped her meetings as ‘ she seems fine’ but really my daughter has never told any of them how she really feels ( I presuming she is masking).  So understandably you can’t help someone who won’t talk or open up. None of whom have been ASD trained. But I thought after her diagnosis she would have had the correct professional support. 

I don’t know where to turn as she will be leaving school in the next few months and really out of the loop then.  Does anyone know where to turn for the support for her to progress onto the next stage of her independence?  What I would ideally like is to find out what her triggers are and to give her the tools to be able to self soothe when her dad and I are not around. And also be able to learn more about empathy and the like to be able to have meaningful relationships as she gets older. Thank you.

Parents
  • Hello! Congratulations to your daughter on her university offers! I wonder if there is a special needs co-ordinator or similar where she is currently studying who could help you to find support? My husband and I have support from a local autism organisation but I don't know if it's for ages 16+ or 18+. The NAS directory will possibly have details of a similar organisation in your area. How does your daughter feel about her diagnosis and getting support? I've always found my local autism support workers to be caring and knowledgeable about autism and felt comfortable reaching out to them. I'm waiting for an assessment and my husband has already got a diagnosis.

Reply
  • Hello! Congratulations to your daughter on her university offers! I wonder if there is a special needs co-ordinator or similar where she is currently studying who could help you to find support? My husband and I have support from a local autism organisation but I don't know if it's for ages 16+ or 18+. The NAS directory will possibly have details of a similar organisation in your area. How does your daughter feel about her diagnosis and getting support? I've always found my local autism support workers to be caring and knowledgeable about autism and felt comfortable reaching out to them. I'm waiting for an assessment and my husband has already got a diagnosis.

Children
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