Newly Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Condition

Hey, everyone!

I’m 17 years old and for a while, I’ve sort of known that I’m autistic. So, for a bit, I was self-diagnosed/ had a working diagnosis whilst waiting for my assessment results.

Well, yesterday, I received confirmation. I am actually autistic and I have no idea how to feel.

For the past couple of years, I’ve been accepting of it — I did tons of research and followed multiple autism support accounts on social media. But, now that it’s real… I have no idea what to do.

It’s hit me that it’s not something that can be cured or taken away with treatment. It’s there forever. I’m forever autistic. Now, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing because I’m aware of my strengths. But, it hurts knowing that my struggles are permanent no matter how I deal with them, especially when coping and masking takes so much energy.

So, I suppose I’m wondering what should I do now that I’ve been diagnosed?