Newly diagnosed and worried about my HGV license

Having been diagnosed online and via email with autism at age 51 in 2021, having started the process in 2019, this is the very reason why not only I totally empathise, but why I also firmly believe that post-diagnostic assessments to identify individual support needs on a case-by-case basis must become part of our basic legal rights/entitlement as autistic people and indeed, must become a legal requirement - at age 53 now, I’d been made redundant after 17 years in 2019 out of a total of 30 years in supermarket retailing both here in the U.K. where I’ve lived 21 years and in my native Republic of Ireland where I still have extended family and although I tried working in a hotel for a year after Covid, I had to quit by mutual agreement because I found it too much due to no appropriate support because of no post-diagnostic assessment - aside from this and other autism related websites, there is very little appropriate adult autism support and I am also very surprised that there is not even online post-diagnostic autism assessments - the staff at my local jobcentre (very supportive and understanding) are as incredulous and perplexed as I am at the lack of appropriate adult autism support out there, even here in Manchester - all too often, mental health issues and hidden disabilities like ours are the poor relation when it comes to funding and much of autism funding, whether public or private, is almost entirely focused on children - as more people are diagnosed with autism later in life, the state is storing up problems for itself, as there will eventually be an ageing autistic population who will need a lot of extra support in the years and decades ahead - as an older gay man, I’m aware of how the LGBT community has been able to engage in activism in partnership with those on the left in the struggle for rights and equality and I’ve seen some shocking examples of how even visibly disabled people are still enduring discrimination and prejudice as a result of ignorance and lack of education - long before my diagnosis, when I lived in Rural Ireland as a teenager, 20’s & 30’s, I was a motorcyclist and I’ve had bikes up to 125cc on Irish roads (the Irish bike test is harder to pass than the U.K. bike test, even though most Irish bike schools use the U.K. police bike training model) and the Irish car & HGV test is easier to pass then the U.K. ones - I’m not sure what the Irish rules are currently aside from the DVLA, but in my experience, it is purposely written in deliberately ambiguous and confusing language - if you can’t speak to your GP about this or to the people who carried out your diagnosis, I would advise speaking to both a police officer at your local police station (bring a copy of your diagnosis) and to a solicitor, because if this is going to affect your car and HGV licences that you currently hold and need for work, you need clarification in writing from the DVLA even if going through the “normal channels” and you may indeed need written representations on your behalf - I would suggest gathering together everything in writing, together with signed and countersigned written statements of every interaction, so that if there is any problem later on, you can prove that you have acted responsibly and reasonably at all times and a key part of this is getting legal advice from a solicitor or better still, a barrister 

Hi, thanks for your reply, I’m also concerned about the lack of help for adults post diagnosis. I have been searching for a couple of days and have found next to nothing. I’m going to wait and see what the forms are and see if I can get help then. Cheers

Hello Shazza,

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.....but there is next to no help for us "matures" post diagnosis.  This place (and others like it) is as good as you will likely find.....unless you are proper lucky in your particular local area...akin to stepping in rocking horse do-do (ie - no hope!)

I've seen the driving question raised a few times in this place......and panic-ye-not.....big-rig drivers can be as ASD as they come, and it doesn't mean that you will have a problem with DVLA.....only if you panic in "bright lights" or "loud noises" or "busy traffic" or "being high up" etc....and I'm pretty sure that you won't fall into those type of categories !!?!

Welcome to this place.  Stick around.  We're as good (or mediocre) as they get !

Kind regards

A driver who has profound respect and admiration for HGV drivers!!

Thank you. I have managed for 10 years driving HGV’s so hopefully they will see that. I will stick around thanks just not a big communicator. 
kind regards 

Thank you. I have managed for 10 years driving HGV’s so hopefully they will see that. I will stick around thanks just not a big communicator. 
kind regards