Help with accessing services?

Does help to access services such as housing, healthcare, etc exist for diagnosed autistics?

I'm 35, undiagnosed, score 35 on AQ50.

I feel completely incapable of managing the logistics of life. Until last year I was in a relationship with an NT who dealt with letting agents, bills etc. We split up a year ago and he moved out, but he's still on my tenancy agreement, my rent goes through his account, all the bills are in his name, because I literally can't communicate well enough with organizations to take any of it over. The only thing I've managed to switch is council tax because you can do that online.

On the phone I struggle to process what's being said and reply. Letting agents only communicate by phone so I'll be homeless if my landlord ever wants their flat back. Please don't say "oh no they'll definitely accommodate your needs" because they don't. It's a competitive housing market around here and if you're not the absolutely perfect candidate who can jump through every hoop you don't get accommodation. It took my ex six months of dedicated searching and applying to find something and he's confident, assertive, and securely employed on a high income.

I have enough savings to buy a place outright... But again the communication issue makes it impossible.

I think I have trouble being assertive? Often what happens is that I approach a service and think that I'm communicating very strongly "I want this" (eg to work with you as a counselor, to buy this item, to book x or y, to try this medication) and the response I get is "I'll let you think about it as you're clearly not sure." After a few rounds of this I give up.

I think I must also either be bad at explaining what I need or bad at processing information (even though reading, comprehending and re-presenting textual information is what I do for a living and I get very good ratings) as people often don't answer the question I'm asking. For example, I've contacted the local bus service three times to ask about where their various tickets are valid and they keep pointing me to the same page which doesn't answer the question.

I know I'm not stupid as I have a physics degree from Cambridge but it literally feels like I don't speak the same language as other people.

I don't have family or friends.

I doubt I qualify for any benefits as I have savings and have no trouble earning money (I work online). I need someone to help me with practical stuff. Would that exist if I got diagnosed? Tbh I think my chance of getting the GP to give me a referral is very low, as I've never managed it with any other ongoing health problem, but I could try if there's actually support available at the end of the process. I've heard the local waiting list is at least three years. Or should I forget about diagnosis and just try to find some kind of help now? How?

Parents
  • Dear Han,

    Thank you for sharing this with our community. The AQ test was developed by a team of psychologists to measure autistic traits in adults. It's not a means of diagnosis but may indicate the need for further assessment. These online 'autism tests' do not guarantee accuracy, and while they are no replacement for official diagnosis, if the results are significant, it's worth taking it along to the GP.

    You may like to look at our information about autism spectrum disorders:

    https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/what-is-autism

    If you were interested in finding out if you are on the autism spectrum, you would need to have a formal diagnostic assessment. You may find it useful to have a look at the following link for further information about diagnosis and the benefits of getting one:

    https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/diagnosis

    Furthermore, it is important the professional you see has experience of autism spectrum disorders. You can find details of diagnostic services on our Autism Services Directory in the Assessment and diagnosis section:

    https://www.autism.org.uk/directory

    I hope this helps!

    Best regards,

    Eunice Mod

  • Thanks. I've spent the last year reading up on autism so have been over those pages several times. So is there any post-diagnosis support?

Reply Children