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Hello, I have just been diagnosed

PompeyH03

I was diagnosed officially yesterday with Level 1 Autism Spectrum Disorder. 

I am a guy in my mid-late 20s and decided a few months ago to get a diagnosis after anxiety therapy doing nothing for me and generally reflecting that I have always been a bit different in a lot of ways to others.

Although social situations were quite difficult growing up I’m happy to have friends around me now that were actually very supportive and made the whole thing quite funny and light hearted with their banter. It just feels quite relieving to have an answer for any doubts I had growing up or that constant feeling of being an outsider or overlooked.  

Hope everyone is having a good day :) 

Parents

  • Congratulations on your diagnosis and welcome to the community! 

    The NAS has a great set of articles focused on "after diagnosis" - including one covering how you might feel during the coming days / weeks / months (which might fluctuate), which you might find helpful:

    NAS - How you might feel after a diagnosis

    NAS - Other advice covering post-diagnosis including:

    • Talking about and disclosing your autism diagnosis
    • Emotional support for family members after a diagnosis
    • Formal support following an autism diagnosis
    • What can I do if formal support is not offered or is not enough

    Therapy (or counselling) is often recommended after a diagnosis, as a follow up action for your GP to arrange. In anticipation of that, you might find it helpful to borrow or buy this book. It discusses various types of therapy and counselling, together with advice on choosing the right therapist or counsellor - all from an autistic person's viewpoint. Several of us here have found it very helpful.

    I should add that, like you, I had therapy before I was diagnosed, without any success. However, with the benefit of the information in the book, I chose to have counselling after I was diagnosed, and found that very helpful:

    The Autistic Survival Guide to Therapy

    Immediately following my diagnosis, this book also taught me some important principles and enabled me to make some helpful changes - perhaps you might find it helpful, too:

    Self-Care for Autistic People: 100+ Ways to Recharge, De-Stress, and Unmask!

  • in reply to Bunny

    Thank you - the resources list I was given after diagnosis was quite limited so this will be really helpful Blush

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