Hi,
I am a 39 year old female who was diagnosed with Autism back in June 2025. My GP recently referred me to a social worker but I unfortunately I got rejected. I was told that I am Autistic but not disabled.
Has this ever happen to anybody before?
Hi,
I am a 39 year old female who was diagnosed with Autism back in June 2025. My GP recently referred me to a social worker but I unfortunately I got rejected. I was told that I am Autistic but not disabled.
Has this ever happen to anybody before?
I think it's because despite whatever rules are officially there, nobody really knows what to do with us, certainly not once we're adults, there's things we're brilliant at and things that go right over our heads, often at around the same time, it being a spectrum means there's no one set of symptoms, therefore no straight answers or set of procedures.
Thank you for the explanation it's very helpful!
I feel that im disabled since I ever remember, long before the suspicion of autism. I lack malice and im generally slower to pick up on things or to process information, which makes me more vulnerable and I experienced a lot of bullying, abuse and violence. I remember I used to always gravitate towards other kids with mild and severe disability. I felt safer, more in control while playing with a child with disability and it was also more interesting. I managed to recognise and name how I felt 30 years ago just recently. Earlier I could only say that im inferior to others.
I red once, that autism alone is not a reason to consider someone automatically disabled.
As explained by the NAS, in the UK, "autistic people meet the legal definition of disability ... and are protected in UK law regardless of whether they identify as disabled or not". My reply to PinkAngel00 above explains more, and includes the full quote.
I was told that I am Autistic but not disabled.
Under UK law, you are classified as being disabled as a direct result of being autistic.
Although this quote is from the NAS page relating to reasonable adjustments in the workplace, it explains our disability status very clearly, including in relation to accessing services:
"As an autistic person, you may or may not consider yourself to be disabled. However, autistic people meet the legal definition of disability in the Equality Act 2010 (and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 in Northern Ireland) and are protected in UK law regardless of whether they identify as disabled or not.
You may still meet the legal definition of disability even if you do not have a formal autism diagnosis. The law does not rely on causes or specific diagnoses but rather judges the effect and the disadvantage faced in a specific situation.
The law provides autistic people with legal protection against discrimination, harassment and victimisation in a wide variety of situations, for example when accessing services, in education and in employment."
However, when it comes to accessing support like social care or financial benefits (eg PIP), we can still be required to show evidence of having certain types and levels of difficulties - and we might not always meet the thresholds for accessing them. Even so, we are all definitely still "disabled" under the law.
You might find the advice here helpful (your profile mentions you're in London, so I've shared the page for England) - including that that you can challenge your local authority's decision if you disagree with it:
NAS - Social care for adults in England
You might also find the chatbot helpful. It's provided, in partnership with the NAS, by a charity that specialises in legal advice for social care in England:
I suspect that you are high masker. I am / was myself but I recognised struggles throughout my 30 odd years career. My occupational health consultant at work classed me as disabled under the equality act.
I had never thought I was disabled but the more I continue through my post diagnosis life the more I see where I struggle. Therefore, the effects of day to day life and the energy used to survive it is what is disabling.
Everyone is different. I managed to attain a PhD and worked in a highly specialised scientific discipline but I had frequent bouts of work-related stress. So surviving is what make me disabled.
I am not scared to accept the term disabled as by accepting it I can begin to find ways to mitigate the world around me.
One other point is that females are often very high maskers and this can even mask traits when it comes to diagnosis and support.
Is it due to your ability to mask that you have been labeled as autistic but not disabled?
I agree with this, when I was diagnosed the report said this: "Under the Equality Act 2010, Autism is recognised as a disability. This means you have a legal right to request reasonable adjustments in the workplace, in education settings, and when accessing public services (including healthcare)... You do not need to consider yourself “disabled” to be eligible — your diagnosis itself entitles you to support.", which I think says pretty much the same thing.
Maybe for some people 'mild' disability does not count as a disability? I red once, that autism alone is not a reason to consider someone automatically disabled. I feel a bit disabled when having to interact with others. I'm lost, like a child in a fog. But I have no issues with basic daily finctioning- I can cook, clean, I work, I'm married and I have a child. There is a social worker coming to us and she helps me with my daughter. She helps me recognise my daughters feelings and intentions. I get this help despite not having a diagnosis- the teachers in the nursery noticed problems with my daughter's behaviour and I applied and received help from the state. It's very important for me. I fear that one day my daughter will become adult while I will still stay myself.
I'm bot sure if I would be considered disabled or not, it's not that obvious in me and not do visible. I just appear shy or weird.
I agree with this, other than to add that the effects on your everyday life relate to 'restrictive/repetitive interests' and 'social difficulties'. That's as I understand it, to receive an autism diagnosis.
Clearly different people can and will see these effects differently. I understand why the doctors said what they did about me. It doesn't degrade or in any way invalidate the autism diagnosis, but does speak to the needs (or lack thereof) that I have as a result
"Given his ability to function normally in a high-pressure work environment for nearly 20 years, I would not consider him to have a disability within the meaning of the Equality Act 2010" - Was what the consultant psychiatrist said
To be diagnosed with ASD, autistic traits must have a deleterious effect on everyday life. Therefore, a diagnosis presupposes that an autistic person may require accommodations or support in order to mitigate these effects. However, an individual autistic person might be able to mitigate the adverse effects of ASD without external help. In which case it could be said that they are not disabled, just inconvenienced by their autism.
I would say that anyone who has an autistic person referred to them should not dismiss them as 'not being disabled' without a very thorough and structured assessment of their abilities and needs.
Yes, kind of!! ... I was diagnosed as autistic 2 years ago, aged 44. As part of a completely different issue, I obtained a psychiatrist report and the opinion/report of a consultant in occupational medicine...
Both were of the view that I would not be considered as disabled (as a result of the autism alone).
Essentially, as I had had a successful career over 20+ years, have good communication skills and no support needs etc, that I would not fulfil that label. They also said that essentially that matter would be for a Court to decide (not something I'm exploring)
I haven’t heard of that, although I have heard of people being rejected for services because they didn’t meet the threshold for acceptance, e.g., they weren’t ‘disabled enough’. Resources are limited so services are often limited to those who are most in need according to the powers that be.
One of the core diagnostic features of autism is that a person ‘has difficulties in daily living activities resulting in functional impairment’. This means that all autistic people in the UK are disabled and every doctor should know that as autism is a medical diagnosis.
Many autistic people would argue that they are not disabled, rather the world isn’t geared for people with a neurodevelopmental difference. Nonetheless, all autistic people in the UK are classified as disabled.
