New diagnosis

Congratulations on your autism diagnosis and welcome to the community!

Whilst it must feel like a huge relief to have finally reached this point, don't be alarmed if you also experience some negative emotions. During the period following a diagnosis it can also be common for us - especially as late-diagnosed adults - to experience emotional dysregulation. So please don't worry, this is normal! This 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

In terms of what to do next, my advice at this point (ie so soon after your diagnosis) 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.

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 conclusion complete with ready-made solutions for my various ASD-related difficulties.

Therapy is often also recommended after a diagnosis. You might find it helpful to borrow or buy this book. It features discussion of various types of therapy and counselling, together with advice on choosing the right therapist or counsellor - all from an autistic person's viewpoint. Several of us here have found it very helpful, myself included:

The Autistic Survival Guide to Therapy

I will take a look thank you!

I will take a look thank you!