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What to do now?

Littlemissanxious

Hi everyone Relaxed️ first time poster here,

I recently received my autism diagnosis, about 4 weeks ago. I am in my early 40s and during my assessment the doctor also said I should get assessed for ADHD. I have just joined the very long line for an assessment. I have told a few very close people, my friends have been very supportive, one was very shocked however after talking to her about how I truly feel she was suprised how much I have been masking. My sister was great, she already knew and my children have been amazing, they knew all along. I truly feel I am 100% myself, fully unmasked around them as my home is my safe space. My parents though have been less supportive,  I have been met with criticism, shock and being told the doctor was wrong. I feel this is maybe from a place of fear for them as they are the older generation. Its upset me though quite abit to not be able to discuss this with them.

I guess my question is what do I do now? I feel i have been given my diagnosis but not sure what to do with it. I'd love to find out more about how my mind works,  strategies I can use and also any suggestions on how to have those conversations with my family, I have not yet told my employer either. Does anyone have any book or podcast recommendations they could suggest? I'm better at podcasts or audio books as I can't seem to concentrate long enough to read a book at the moment. 

Sorry for such a long post, any help would be appreciated Relaxed️

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 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:

    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!

    Littlemissanxious said:
    during my assessment the doctor also said I should get assessed for ADHD. I have just joined the very long line for an assessment

    If you live in England and are now on the NHS's own waiting list (ie for an assessment to be carried out by the NHS itself), then you might like to ask your GP about re-referring you using the Right to Choose pathway (RTC), which you are entitled to use instead if you wish.

    In England (only), this enables access to certain, approved, private ADHD assessment providers who typically have much shorter waiting lists than the NHS, but with your assessment still fully funded by the NHS. 

    There's a list of RTC providers for adult ADHD at the bottom of this page, for example:

    NHS Sussex - NHS Right to Choose: for Autism and ADHD Assessment

  • in reply to Bunny

    Wow! I really cannot thank you enough for all the information! I will have a look at this now. I am hoping that the assessment might be through a right to choose assessment. I have had a questionnaire through from the company which my GP and me had to fill out. It says that It could be a 6 to 8 month waiting list, which I know is much smaller than a lot of waiting lists. 

    Honestly thank you so much I really appreciate your help. 

  • in reply to Littlemissanxious

    You're most welcome! Blush

    It's perhaps no bad thing to have a delay like that between your assessments. It will give you some time to process things after your autism diagnosis before needing to switch your focus onto ADHD - which I wish you all the best with.

  • in reply to Bunny

    You are to right, I think I want to get the ADHD one straight away (maybe that's the ADHD) as I'm so inpatient waiting for things lol . Once again thank you for being so welcoming to a new poster Relaxed️

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