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High functioning ASD Struggling.

NrfkGuy

Morning apologies I’m new to this group 

long story short I’m really REALLY STRUGGLING with this autism.

I’m a high functioning autism spectrum on the low but get confused with the low being high and highs low end of the day I drive a car I work full time and do most normal things except in my report my brains wired wrong and I struggle taking in information needs breaking down but dyslexic to I always though was that i thought nothing of it firstly but after 3+years I feel I’m getting worse I can’t handle the loud noises or awful smells.

i work full time and I’m struggling here especially and do t know what to do work says they understand my condition but they really don’t.

i feel I can’t call in sick because of how I’m feeling I just do t know what to do I used to be a bad sepf neglecting person to myself  and it comes in my head more and more this week how am I suppose to cope or manage myself.? really love to hear some feedback ?

  • in reply to NAS51275

    really helpful reply with useful info. 2 wks ago I informed my GP and Work(HR) but think I'm possibly going to have to lead if I need help/support as neither have contacted me, so will look at "access to work".  Employer has "disability confident" badge but need to see what that means

  • Hello there, I hope you’ve managed to find yourself a little and get some peace? I think we should acknowledge that autism is a disability but not always in the sense that it stops you doing things. There’s a huge pressure on people to conform to society and a lot of people find this idea alien or at least uncomfortable depending on the circumstances. Are you able to take some time off work using holiday? Depending on what you do for work could you listen to music? I can relate to the noise issue, sudden unexpected loud or high pitched noises make me instantly angry and slightly disorientated and I will cover my ears. Please love yourself because you are very much valued, others not understanding you is their issue to deal with, you’ve got yourself to put first. 

  • Hi,

    You just described me. I self referred to Access to Work. I had no idea what I needed to support me,but they helped me at every stage. Then they gave me a grant to pay for things that I needed.E.G. noise cancelling ear buds, training for staff to understand autism, work coach...  Five years later and I still have support from Access to Work as I have other conditions that impact on my autism.

    I have told you this so you can think about two things.

    1. If you live in England this applies - Access to work can be found on gov.uk site and  referring to Access to Work is free. It is a government initiative to help keep disabled people in work, and yes, autism at all levels is a disability. You can do this if you want to. There may be a waiting list now.

    2. Wherever you live, think about high functioning autism as meaning that you have the cognitive ability that those with low level autism do not have. This means you can still suffer with the difficulties such as noise, filtering, communication and of course being overwhelmed or having a meltdown, all of which is autism. Once you list the things you have said according to your profile you know what you need help with. You can go to your doctor's and request referral to an autism specific support. If you live in England you can ask for a referral to adult autism services to provide individual support. If you live in England you are supported by the Equalities Act  2010, which makes requesting reasonable adjustments a legal requirement for your workplace. The  noises and smells you describe sound sensory,so look up sensory sensitivity, and think about what your workplace could do to deal with this.

    Remember that we age. As a neurotypical person ages , their body and mind show evidence of this. Stands to reason that what we used to manage in our high functioning when we were younger will be impacted by age. This means noises will be louder, smells will be stronger anxiety will be higher etc etc.

    There is a lot more, but please begin with being kind to yourself.  I now use an app on my phone to remind me to bathe,brush my teeth, be positive, and J still work. I guess I said a lot to state - do what you have to do. Take care.

  • Hi and welcome to the forum. Sorry to hear you are struggling - you might be suffering from burnout which is common in autistic people. If so, you must allow yourself time and space to recuperate. 

    There is an article on this website giving advice about coping with it:

    https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/mental-health/autistic-fatigue/autistic-adults