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Just been diagnosed at 24, HELP !!

NAS95052
2 months ago

Hi

I am a 24 year old girl and I was diagnosed with autism about 3 weeks ago after being misdiagnosed with anxiety and depression my entire life. I am very happy and relieved with my diagnosis but feel completely lost and have no idea what to do next. I have recently heard of PIP and have considered applying, other than that I have no idea what kind of support or help I can receive. I work full time and live with my boyfriend, my parents aren’t very supportive as they just feel “guilty” they didn’t notice sooner. If anyone has any advice on what to do next I’d be extremely appreciative, thank you so much. 

  • 2 months ago
    NAS95052 said:
    I have recently heard of PIP and have considered applying

    If you are able to hold down a full time job then I doubt you would qualify for PIP I'm afraid. From what people here have described, even those with crippling impact from their autism are often being refused the benefit.

    There is a guide here if you want to look into it more:

    https://www.gov.uk/pip/eligibility

    In terms of support there is nothing benefit wise that you seem likely to qualify for based on your description but there are often local autism groups and of couse this forum which are great sources of information and community.

    There are a few books that may be of interest to you - have a good look at the reviews on Amazon and GoodReads.com to work out if they feel right for tyou:

    Aspergirls - empowering females with Asperger Syndrome - Rudy Simone (2012)
    ISBN 9781849058261
    Why Aren't Normal People Normal - A Girl's Survival Guide to Growing Up with Asperger Syndrome - Olley Edwards (2013)
    no ISBN given
    Women and Girls with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Understanding Life Experiences from Early Childhood to Old Age - Sarah Hendrickx, Judith Gould (2015)
    ISBN 978 1 84905 547 5
    Autism in heels -  the untold story of a female life on the spectrum - O'Toole, Jennifer Cook (2018)
    ISBN 9781510732841

    For the "what next" question - what is affecting you most? We can start with this and go from there.

    Welcome to the club.

  • 2 months ago

    Hi

    Welcome and congratulations on your diagnosis!

    The NAS has recently updated its online resources covering diagnosis-related support. There's a lot of UK-focused information (including about benefits and support) here covering the stage you've reached - after diagnosis:

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

    There's also a great "welcome pack" here, offering by an autistic-run Australian charity, Reframing Autism:

    https://reframingautism.org.au/service/welcome-pack/ 

  • 2 months ago

    Just giving some visibility too. I hope that you find some similar age friends here.

  • 2 months ago

    Welcome to this place! Just giving this some visibility. Slight smile