Newly diagnosed with Asperger’s

I found this video helpful - from anothre late diagnosed person: www.youtube.com/watch

I just mean like they will take time and patience explaining things and they will not care if I have to wear my headphones while they are talking. 

I don't think they should be. The NAS article I linked seems pretty clear "As a result of these changes, Asperger syndrome should no longer be given as a diagnosis."

I'm not exactly sure when the change happened in the UK. That article refers to the ICD being updated in 2019. I know when I was diagnosed with ASD in 2020 I was specifically told that Asperger's Syndrome was no longer given as a diagnosis.

I'm not entirely sure you mean by "which organisations are autism friendly" but you don't NEED to tell anyone. You can choose who you want to tell. This varies from person to person. Some people are very open, others are much more "need to know." I've told close family and some friends, but the response from friends was mixed -- nothing negative, but some "I don't know what to say, why are you telling me this?"-type responses, so I haven't told all my friends.

I don't know if you're working, but it can be useful to tell employers if you need workplace adjustments. Autism counts as a protected disability, so employers have to give reasonable adjustments. Unfortunately, experience has told me that telling potential employers is not a good move. This is difficult, as I need adjustments in interviews.

I think the NHS is still using Asperger's as a diagnosis. At least, they gave it to me in 2021. I don't think they use DSM-5 for diagnosis. I also think the switch in terminology was as much because various disorders were brought under the umbrella heading of ASD as because of Asperger's Nazi links.

Yes I have an iPhone 

Hi, I use an iPhone, if you use the Safari button it leaves you logged in after you go to the community page, if you slide the page down it then updates with the latest posts.

Also is there an app or something for National Autistic Society?  I just would find it easier to have an automatic login through a picture icon in my phone. 

I’ve also just been diagnosed and I am 47, I do already have sunflower lanyards.  I think my main concern now is how much do I need to share and to whom. Like disabled people are very open to abuse but also we sometimes do need to approach strangers to get help. 

What came out of my assessment for me is that I’m a poor judge of character,  so I want to know which organisations are autism friendly so I can go and enjoy myself. 

Congratulations!

Now you can start to understand why you are who you are....and you've found a fab community hete

Welcome to the community.

Just one point regarding the terminology. Asperger's is no longer given as a diagnosis, due to the links between Hans Asperger and the Nazi regime. The term was removed from the DSM-5 in 2013, although you will probably still see it used quite a lot in older publications and by people who were diagnosed before the terms changed. Your diagnosis is likely to be Autism Spectrum Disorder or Condition.

https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/what-is-autism/the-history-of-autism/asperger-syndrome

I was diagnosed a few years ago and it was overwhelming. It starts to make sense of everything that has never made sense before. Yes you definitely need time to process, I think I'm still processing mine even now. Oh and don't get your hopes up regarding any post diagnosis support. In many areas there is very little available for adults, if anything.

Finding out there's a reason why you do the things you do can be both liberating and daunting as I recently discovered. There are plenty of good folks on here who will help you make sense of it all. Don't be afraid to ask anything.