New and looking for advice

I managed to get my diagnosis through the NHS, I went to the GP and said that I think I may be autistic. Of course she had my medical history and stuff so I did not really have to say much and she sent off the referral. I think I waited 11 months until my assessment. Before the assessment they asked me to fill out and email back some quizzes, one of them was about growing up, the other was a very long test (think it was the RAADS-R) and another one which someone else would have had to fill out (someone close). 

When I was at my assessment, I was taken to a small room that was sensory friendly and all the staff were incredibly kind and it felt like a very calm and safe environment. I was told the process and how long it would approximately take, that I can take breaks whenever I need to. The assessment was more of a chat, I was just asked questions and he made some notes along the way. I only had that one session and at the end he told me that I was autistic, and went through what autism is and recommended some resources such as social media influencers and books. I got an email with a pdf report attached confirming my diagnosis and all the notes he made about 2 weeks later. 

At the time I was happy that I got the diagnosis, but shortly after that happiness turned into sadness and I was left feeling abandoned as I didn't know how to process this and what autism specifically meant for me. I still don't know, trying to figure it out, and have tried searching for post-diagnosis support but with no luck. Somewhere that does offer post-diagnosis support where I live and that's NHS (as I am a student I don't necessarily have the funding for seeking private services) turned me down as they already have a waiting list of 2/3 years. 

I would suggest going to your GP with your daughter and seeing what they have to say first, find out the waiting time and decide how you would like to proceed from there. I can't recommend anything, but don't overlook the importance of post-diagnosis support. Not only can this be from therapists or support groups, but also from you. I am going to base this off my own experience, I am very close to my mum but she knows nothing about ASD nor is actively trying to learn more. She wasn't accepting of my diagnosis, and I have brought it up indirectly a few times after and she doesn't engage in it. I think not being able to talk about it to my mum is one of the reasons I am struggling to process it, and if she also has a close bond with you she may want to seek support from you too.

I managed to get my diagnosis through the NHS, I went to the GP and said that I think I may be autistic. Of course she had my medical history and stuff so I did not really have to say much and she sent off the referral. I think I waited 11 months until my assessment. Before the assessment they asked me to fill out and email back some quizzes, one of them was about growing up, the other was a very long test (think it was the RAADS-R) and another one which someone else would have had to fill out (someone close). 

When I was at my assessment, I was taken to a small room that was sensory friendly and all the staff were incredibly kind and it felt like a very calm and safe environment. I was told the process and how long it would approximately take, that I can take breaks whenever I need to. The assessment was more of a chat, I was just asked questions and he made some notes along the way. I only had that one session and at the end he told me that I was autistic, and went through what autism is and recommended some resources such as social media influencers and books. I got an email with a pdf report attached confirming my diagnosis and all the notes he made about 2 weeks later. 

At the time I was happy that I got the diagnosis, but shortly after that happiness turned into sadness and I was left feeling abandoned as I didn't know how to process this and what autism specifically meant for me. I still don't know, trying to figure it out, and have tried searching for post-diagnosis support but with no luck. Somewhere that does offer post-diagnosis support where I live and that's NHS (as I am a student I don't necessarily have the funding for seeking private services) turned me down as they already have a waiting list of 2/3 years. 

I would suggest going to your GP with your daughter and seeing what they have to say first, find out the waiting time and decide how you would like to proceed from there. I can't recommend anything, but don't overlook the importance of post-diagnosis support. Not only can this be from therapists or support groups, but also from you. I am going to base this off my own experience, I am very close to my mum but she knows nothing about ASD nor is actively trying to learn more. She wasn't accepting of my diagnosis, and I have brought it up indirectly a few times after and she doesn't engage in it. I think not being able to talk about it to my mum is one of the reasons I am struggling to process it, and if she also has a close bond with you she may want to seek support from you too.