Published on 12, July, 2020
I was just diagnosed today with Autism at 26 (female). I'm in the US and unsure what my next steps should be. I have some ideas and know what I need to do for the Academic portion of my life, but outside of school services,I have no idea. My psychologist recommended joining an online group, as that is the setting where I blossom the best socially. I would love advice on what my next steps should be. A little about me I currently work only part-time in my field of special interest in history. I'm in a grad program through ASU for World War Two history. And I would love all the advice you can give me.
Hello Kitty, welcome to the club!
For advice it is a pretty broad subject so I would start with a quick guide to undestand the spectrum so you can work out which traits you have and decide if there are any you want to work on doing anything about:
Understanding Autism For Dummies - Stephen Shore, Linda G. Rastelli, Temple Grandin (2006)ISBN 0764525476
Most books have a bias towards male autists but there are a few for females that may offer some specific insights for you:
Aspergirls - empowering females with Asperger Syndrome - Rudy Simone (2012)ISBN 9781849058261
Why Aren't Normal People Normal - A Girl's Survival Guide to Growing Up with Asperger Syndrome - Olley Edwards (2013)no ISBN given
Women and Girls with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Understanding Life Experiences from Early Childhood to Old Age - Sarah Hendrickx, Judith Gould (2015)ISBN 978 1 84905 547 5
If there are any specific areas you have questions about or want help with then fire away with as much specificity as you are willing to give - this helps us formulate advice more specific to your needs and wants.
Honestly im not even sure where to start. Im courios where all you started.
Kitty said:Im courios where all you started.
I'm a bit of a research nerd so I sarted with:
The Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome - Tony Attwood (2006)ISBN 9781843105138
Along with a lot of online research. It turns out that there are a lot of opinions out there about how autism should be approached.
Armed with the knowledge of what I had read I then set up with a therapist to work out what it was about me that I really wanted to change or come to terms with, then going through these one by one until I had go to my end goal - feeling comfortable with myself, knowing my limitations better and having the techniques to manage these limitations when they begin to become troublesome.
It was so worth the journey.
It took about 18 months for me, and in that time I have read a great deal more about it and offer some summaries of the info I found here for others when asked.