What advice would you give to your younger self?

I'd probably give myself the line I heard once in a videogame: "The more crutches you have, the more it hurts when they're kicked out from under ya." I reckon if I had known to take more opportunities earlier on to grow some independence and not rely on my childhood 1:1 support or my parents managing near everything in my life then when I became faced with the realities of what is yet to come I'd be more prepared rather than freaking out and having absolute dread over my future survival. At the moment I feel like I'm running low on time and am a million miles from where I need to be, if I could use that time again I could have gradually got where I needed to.

I'd also try to tell myself what my diagnosis is about, what little I know of it now at least. I had been diagnosed as a young child and whilst I had 1:1 support I almost thought it was just because I was 'a bit naughty' in primary school and because support suddenly stopped after college and my parents didn't talk to me about it and seem to treat it as if it's all over now I spent a lot of time not understanding and struggling with myself and putting myself down. I would have also had a head start on overcoming or finding ways to help get around a lot of my issues. I might have even been communicate this with my parents if it were closer to or during when I already had support who could essentially back me up to say 'yeah, this is a lifelong thing, and he might need some guidance to get to that independence'.

I'd probably give myself the line I heard once in a videogame: "The more crutches you have, the more it hurts when they're kicked out from under ya." I reckon if I had known to take more opportunities earlier on to grow some independence and not rely on my childhood 1:1 support or my parents managing near everything in my life then when I became faced with the realities of what is yet to come I'd be more prepared rather than freaking out and having absolute dread over my future survival. At the moment I feel like I'm running low on time and am a million miles from where I need to be, if I could use that time again I could have gradually got where I needed to.

I'd also try to tell myself what my diagnosis is about, what little I know of it now at least. I had been diagnosed as a young child and whilst I had 1:1 support I almost thought it was just because I was 'a bit naughty' in primary school and because support suddenly stopped after college and my parents didn't talk to me about it and seem to treat it as if it's all over now I spent a lot of time not understanding and struggling with myself and putting myself down. I would have also had a head start on overcoming or finding ways to help get around a lot of my issues. I might have even been communicate this with my parents if it were closer to or during when I already had support who could essentially back me up to say 'yeah, this is a lifelong thing, and he might need some guidance to get to that independence'.