Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi am Dave am 45 and just been diagnosed with high functioning autism and I am confused what I do now! Am lost and need directions. I have been living on my own for 4 months ! Am finding it difficult to keep on top with all the bills! I recently quit my job as I couldn’t bear it any longer! I don’t have the support of my family! But I know quitting that job was the right decision for me! But now I need to claim benefits and I know nothing about it!! Or who can help me fill out forms and what to do! Does anyone know how this works!?? Any advice on where to start will be appreciated!! Thx
Hi Dave - congratulations on your diagnosis and welcome to the community!
The NAS has a great set of articles focused around diagnosis, including one covering how you might feel during the subsequent days / weeks / months - you might find them of interest and/or helpful:
NAS - How you might feel after a diagnosis
NAS - Other advice covering post-diagnosis - this includes an article on formal support, including potential benefit entitlements.
Citizen's Advice should be able to help with claiming any benefits that you may be entitled to.
For me, as for many others here, my diagnosis turned out to be much more of the start of a new journey, rather than a solution-rich conclusion.
Thank you bunny ! It’s definitely a new beginning for me! So I should go to citizen advice? And they could help someone with autism!? Then that’s what I will do !! First !! I didn’t understand what you mean a solution-rich conclusion?? before my diagnosis I was a Hgv driver earning good money ! But that job just got to much for me! As does all the jobs I’ve had! But with my autism I’d like to return as a Hgv driver but as a person with autism and not a person trying to act normal hehe! But first I need to start over !
You're welcome!
I'd also recommend speaking with your GP about next steps, as it's likely that your assessment report contains actions for them to take or consider taking (for example, referring you for a psychosocial needs assessment, or for therapy, etc). It may also include some actions for you to consider personally.
I'm sorry for the confusing phrase that I used. What I meant was that, ahead of my diagnosis, I hadn't dared to give too much thought to how I might feel afterwards, in case I was wrong about the whole thing.
But I guess that - in hindsight - I'd thought that I might suddenly be able to cope much better with all of my difficulties. Which, of course, isn't the case. Instead, it turned out to be the start of a new phase - exactly like you said, "a new beginning / starting over". But now with a better understanding of my differences.
Dude101 said:What was the first thing you did ? Where did you start? Was you a late diagnosis like me?
Yes, I'm also late diagnosed (many others here are, too!).
I'm not trying to be a smarty-pants by saying this, but - honestly - the very first thing that I did was nothing. I'd found the whole process exhausting. And I felt overwhelmed, with my mind racing all over the place - including worrying about what best to do next.
So, given the state I was in, I gave myself a breather. One of the first things I did after that was to buy a book that gave me ideas for helpful changes that I could start to make:
Self-Care for Autistic People: 100+ Ways to Recharge, De-Stress, and Unmask!
I also bought the therapy-related book that I suggested above. I found it very helpful in enabling me to choose the right option when, a few months later, I felt that I was finally ready to start with counselling.
Worth keeping in mind that your library might have, or be able to get, a copy of either or both of them, if they're also of any interest to you.
I'm also following the personal suggestions (as opposed to those made to my GP) in my diagnosis report. One of them was to join a forum like this one, so we can both tick that one off the list! :)
What was the first thing you did ? Where did you start? Was you a late diagnosis like me?