Published on 12, July, 2020
I received my diagnosis for Autism this morning aged 33. Am told it will be 6-8 weeks before I get my full report, which will enable me to access support.
Conscious I have a LOT of unmasking to come, as well as the task of 'coming out' to some family and friends.
I'm interested to hear what immediate steps people took when processing their diagnosis. Did you find a therapist right away, did you wait? Same questions for telling friends and family.
Congratulations!
Like others have said - a rollercoaster.
Try not to do what ifs, and if onlys. Don't expect to get the reaction that you'd like, but some people will come around to it eventually.
Good luck, and hope to see you on here.
Hi ChArms. I am 40. Just found out I am autistic today as well!
Most people seem to say the same at this stage, it's a bit of a rollercoaster.
I drifted between excited (to know finally what I was dealing with) , grief (I'll never be the thing I wanted to be) vindicated (all those times i thought I was horrible etc. but perhaps wasn't) , upset at finding out age 49 (what if I'd known sooner, I could have suffered less) many different emotions.
It's been 9 months and I'm still in a slightly different mood over it every day. Mostly calmer, more understanding of myself now though. Also a little kinder to me too.
I started therapy pretty soon after diagnosis, it helped to have someone listen to what I thought and felt and help validate (or not) my feelings and views on myself.
I also found that there's almost something new I learn about autism every week that changes my perspective again. Recently realising that RSD is a big factor in shaping how I behave (previously thought I was just jealous and paranoid!)
Enjoy the journey, try not to get too nostalgic or negative. Remember there's plenty of people on here who've been down the same road, all having a different experience of it and happy to offer advice if it gets tough.
Hi - congratulations on your diagnosis and welcome to the community!
Hopefully you're already feeling some benefit from your diagnosis (eg relief). However, be aware that it can also be common for us - especially as late-diagnosed adults - to experience emotional dysregulation. So please don't worry if you also experience that - it's normal and can include working through a phase where we experience (backward-focused) anger, frustration, grieving and more.
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 (including telling others about it)
In terms of what to do next, my advice at this point (ie so soon after your diagnosis two days ago) would be to try and give yourself some time and breathing space to process and absorb everything that you've been through, and let your feelings settle down. Keep in mind that your report may, in due course, include suggested next steps for you.
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.