Hi there

Help is available by contacting the National Autistic Society at: nas@nas.org.uk or by calling: 0207 833 2299 (Monday to Friday 9am-12pm and 1-3pm)

If however you are local, then you may contact any of the organizations listed at;
branchservices@nas.org.uk or alternatively for the direct link, see: https://www.autism.org.uk/what-we-do/branches.

Michael

When get in to a situation 

Hello Kate Kestrel,

Thank you for writing to me. Your message really hit home, I seem to be consumed with reevaluating my past through this new autistic lens. Sometimes it's comforting, but mostly it's just frustrating that there were opportunities in front of me which I couldn't take because I was so overwhelmed and paralysed by it. And then judged by others for being foolish or sensitive, or whatever it is that they saw me. I guess being diagnosed at 48. There's going to be quite a lot of unravelling today, but hopefully I'll get to the end of that and like you say find more peace with myself.

The strange this is I've worked with autistic adults and children a lot through my career. And have had some amazing outcomes and connections which my colleagues questioned. I now realise why. Im one of the gang.

thank you for welcoming me, joining here has been a massive step and its great to know i am not alone.

N

Hello 

are you super calm and zen?

Gosh thank you, im in that reappraising place. I'm concerned that everything I say is now extremely autistic, and every odd glance I receive from someone is because I am profoundly different. Where I know that actually I'm just the same as I was before I found out. And hopefully can become more comfortable with myself, and this interested in their critiques and criticisms of others about my behaviour.

Hello Batfink,  I'm sitting on that rollercoaster right now. It's been larger than I had expected. I thought I'd just go relief… But actually, it's a great big mess of emotions  - by the time i have worked out what im feeling it has passed. Now thinking back and understanding people comments to me over the years. This new Autistic lens on life hopefully will give a different perspective. Thank you for saying that things have settled for you - both i am delighted for you and pleased to hear that it can/will happen for me too.

To a future of feeling positive about being autistic and fabulous.

warm wishes N 

i'm nice ... ok, ok, not 'nice' ... but ok .... sometimes.  :-)

Hey everyone I want to talk to someone who is nice

I'm new

Hi Tamsyn, hope you don't mind me replying here but I noticed you mentioned 2yrs to assessment.  I'm 51yr old and was given a 3yr waiting for assessment from local NHS services which shocked me.  I oke with a specialised therapist who suggested I looked into the NHS Right To Choose service, I'm so pleased I did as I have my assessment interview booked for next Thursday.  I've only waited appromately 3 month in total.  You should look into it...you send a pre written letter into your GP requesting your right to choose and they must refer you.  Fingers crossed you can get assessed well befe the 2 years.

I’ve felt that sadness too, but I’m moving towards a sense of acceptance and compassion towards my younger self and all the difficulties I faced just trying to fit in. I used to blame myself a lot, and felt like a failure much of the time. Now I realise that I was in fact doing incredibly well just to keep my head above water, and try to get something out of life in terms of knowledge and fulfilment. I always tried my best, I always tried to be a good person, even though life was such a struggle and I was dealing with so much anxiety and loneliness. Thankfully when I met my husband my loneliness ended, but life hasn’t been easy. However I’m very grateful for all the good parts of my life and my autism diagnosis is helping me to be more at peace with the memories of many things that I struggled with. 

Hi, I was diagnosed this year too (I’m female and in my 50s). 
I relate to your description of having always ‘overfelt everything’ - yes, that’s how I have always felt too. 
Both my children are diagnosed as autistic so I already had a good understanding about autism, but I’m still finding it’s taking me a while to fully absorb what the diagnosis means for me. I’ve been thinking about my life history and the way my life was different because of being autistic but not knowing that I was autistic for all those years. I’m glad to have the diagnosis though because it makes sense of a lot of things in my life, of my experiences etc. 

I still feel I’ve got a lot to learn about how I can use this knowledge to be more comfortable with life, and more at peace with myself. 
This community is wonderful - so friendly and supportive and such a great source of information and solidarity. 
So welcome to this community x 

Hello 

If you associate with those who understand autism, then you cannot go too far wrong.  If not, at all.

I am however happy that things have settled down for you.

I too have a publication, 'My Life with Autism.

The above is available at all good book shops such as Waterstones from £13.99.

If deciding to purchase, then ask for....

Michael Feldman                                                                                                                                                  My Life with Autism. 

Aside of different organisations, such as in the enclosed link below....

https://www.autism.org.uk/what-we-do/support-in-the-community/social-groups

I believe that you are have come to the right place.  Also, I believe that an organisation, Autism London is still around as a club offering a different topic each month.  This is just a start and hope that the examples given.  On a final note.  You could try contacting the National Autistic Society.  Tel: 0808 800 4104

Hi,

I am another on the long list on here of recent, late diagnosis at 48! I went through a bit of a rollercoaster after diagnosis, relief/explanation of why I was different, denial, then mild anger that I hadn't been diagnosed earlier/slipped through the net (the times I've been to my GP with "stress" when it was actually meltdown followed by autistic inertia). I can happily now say that my emotions have settled and I feel extremely positive about my autism and it has changed my perspective about my feelings of being different as I now find myself relating some (not all) of my differences to my ASD. 

I wish you the very best and hope that it is/becomes a positive thing for you too!

Batfink

Welcome. 

To create your own discussion you should see 'start a discussion' with a blue background towards the top right of your screen. Click on that.

It's there when you're reading another discussion but strangely it doesn't appear when on the forum home page. In order to see it from there you have to click on one of the topics first. I hope that makes sense.

Same here! Don’t know where to begin with accepting and coping with my diagnosis meaning I will never change.

Struggling a lot with anxiety/depression/irritability.

Also, if anyone can tell me how you create a post in the community it would be helpful lol ‍♀️

Apologies, you are right the Tunnel of Love also mentions Cullercoats but the ride was in Whitley.