Published on 12, July, 2020
Hello all
I've just been diagnosed as Autistic. It's been suspected for years but now its fully confirmed. So.. this might sound stupid but what now?
Do i get a diagnosis letter? Will this diagnosis help me with anything benefit related? Does this make PIP a permanent thing for me? Is autism recognised as a life long pip disability?
I'm not really sure what I'm asking here. I'm just not sure what to expect as the diagnosis was so stressful for me i never really thought about what happens after so feeling a bit lost.
Thanks for any advice
Congrats on your diagnosis - welcome to our special club.
But what now?I guess that depends on your local NHS trust (assuming that you were disagnosed through NHS rather than private).I received a 12 page report around a week after diagnosis along with a 1 page letter for me to share with my employer.
I was also referred to a number of post diagnosis group sessions which run over a 6 week period. I attended the 1st session and didn't bother with any of the others as it was so poor and of little to no help. I mean, the 2 ladies presenting the course litterally read verbatim from PowerPoint slides and really didn't to have any real world experienmce of autism.
I'm afraid that it is quite bleak [in terms of post diagnosis support], especially if you are a "late life" diagnosis.That's my experience so far.
What I would recommend is finding online resources.I managed to find a couple of guys on YouTube that resonated with me and where I am at in life.No disrespect, but I really couldn't relate to Vloggers from different demographics such as younger generation, female, LGBT, etc.That's not to say that they wouldn't help others - I guess its a case of each to their own.
Wishing the best of luck