Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi,
I'm Ess Cee (which as you'll probably guess means my initials are SC). Correct!
I'd be interested in sharing experience with people newly diagnosed as adults. For me, it was no surprise (I've suspected it for a long time) but it was a 'shock'. Maybe I am just very good at pretending to be neurotypical. How exhausting that is! It's really a tremendous relief to start letting some of the autism out . . .
Hi there
I'm also new to the NAS community and forums :) I've recently been diagnosed as autistic, at 27 years old. It took 2 years from the point of referral from the GP to get my assessment (i had to beg my GP to refer me because they didnt believe i was autistic). Getting my diagnosis made everything click into place and i finally felt an acceptance in myself that its okay to act, dress and feel differently compared to other people
Ive always found it difficult to make and maintain friendships with other women because theres this unspoken expectation of how women should act and look, and i just didnt fit into their expectations/clique. Ive found the lockdown particularly difficult because its already hard to try reach out and talk to the few friends that i have anyway
Welcome Hbee, congrats on your perseverance with the GP. It's a disgrace that they didn't take you seriously! It makes you wonder how many others out there who are being fobbed off, partly I am sure because a referral means £££ to them .... I am sure that as a society - what is surfacing is the 'tip of the iceberg'. Where I work, I can spot some real telltale signs of Aspie behaviour in others, who may not be aware, it's cringing because I can't say anything incase I upset or offend them, even though I suspect they struggle.
Its really interesting that you say that, because ive been put in touch with another employee in my workplace who says they can unfortunately relate to my situation, and also because i too have spotted aspie traits in colleagues but feel like you cant approach the subject. We're going to start a working group within HR to bring ideas together on how we can help employees on the autism spectrum, and maybe by spreading awareness it can help other people realise they can relate to the behaviours