Published on 12, July, 2020
Hello all
I've been recently diagnosed with autism. It cam as a surprise, but it shouldn't have. I had a miserable educational experience myself, yet I started teaching in my 30s and quickly found myself drawn toward the teaching of autistic young people.
My youngest son was diagnosed with autism a little over a year ago, and watching how he struggles with his school experience is like looking into a mirror onto my own childhood experiences.
It led me to seek a diagnosis for myself. The results aren't surprising really. I'm autistic. It's led me to reassess many of the struggles I've faced in my life, and also the toll that those coping methods have had on my mental health. The methods have been very successful really. I'm very senior in my work, I have money, I have a beautiful partner and wonderful children. However, I know my methods for dealing with it all aren't sustainable, and I'm going to have to change.
Just wanted to say hello, really.
Hi
I was diagnosed late at 42 - I was very successful too - top job, married, child, nice house etc. but I got to a point where it was unsustainable. I totally burned out and became very ill.
Now you're aware of your position, what are you going to do with that information? We've re-jigged our lives to reduce the pressure and we're working to exit out of the whole rat-race/downsize for self-preservation.
Do you think you can adjust everything to be kinder to yourself? Is there an alternative plan that would be more sensible?