Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi,
I have just been diagnosed with Autism at the age of 29. I have special interests in hamster genetics, Pokemon and Harry Potter. I’m still in shock from the diagnosis but it hasn’t yet been 24 hours since I was told the outcome of my assessment. I’m just now questioning what that now means for me, like what do I do to access support or help now I have a diagnosis. I have struggled to get a job my entire adult life as everything I am qualified for I struggle doing practically as it involves communication with others and a lot of small talk. I can do the theory behind it all but I can’t put it into practice. I was given the diagnosis at the end of the assessment as I ticked nearly every marker on their diagnostic test, there was only a couple that I didn’t tick. My parents are in denial so I can’t talk to them about it and I don’t know where to turn. The psychologist suggested the National Autistic Society as a starting point to look up information and she is going to send me some information to signpost me to other places when she sends out the official report.
Welcome, Pinkpixie!
Yes, I totally understand how it can be a bit of a shock to the system at first; it certainly was for me! It seems that most of us who get diagnosed in adulthood go through that for a while, but it does ease off over time as everything sinks in. The forums here are a great first place to turn - my experience is that talking with other autistic people is by far the best "therapy" that I've ever had; even the very best of professionals usually haven't haven't lived with the condition for decades!
One thing I will suggest is to see if you can get an appointment with your local Citizen's Advice Bureau. Although they may not be able to help you directly with things like benefit applications etc., they usually have a wealth of knowledge about what local charities and disability advocacy organisations there are locally - much more so than NHS staff, in my experience. Most of their offices have one or two members of staff who specialise in disability issues, so make sure to mention your new diagnosis when booking an appointment. My autism has got me into a lot of bother in the past with unpaid bills and things like that, and I can't speak highly enough of how brilliant they've been at helping me to get back on my feet.
You may even find a few people who you can shared your interest in genetics with here, too - not necessarily hamsters specifically, but as autism seems to have a lot of genetic components, it's quite common to find autistic people who've developed a bit of a fascination with it, as I have myself.
Best wishes.
I don’t have a citizen’s advice near me, the closest one is over an hours drive away and I don’t drive so my husband would have to take me and he works full time. I have had a lot of difficulty with paying bills before now and my parents have had to pay them for me before I got taken to court over non payments. I’m hoping to find some people I can relate to here, it would be nice to talk to people that understand.