Hi there

Hi Paulies,

Autism is a spectrum condition that affects people to different degrees. It also affects people differently depending on the social environment of family life, school life, work life etc. The mental health chap may be saying that you are not seriously enough affected to benefit from any clinical intervention such as psychiatric help or drugs to control your behaviour. It may be that your environment has changed and that you are coping better, in some ways, with life now than when someone decided that you should be put in a special school.

So, you may still have autistic traits but not enough to warrant being seen further within the medical system. You can still benefit from learning some things about how you can improve your life. I have read a book called "Living Well on the Spectrum" by Valerie Gaus. If you read this you might find that some of it applies to you and you might be helped by some of the techniques she suggests.

Another book that I have read which talks about standing up for yourself as an introvert is "Quiet" by Susan Cain. If you have some autistic traits then you are likely to be introverted to some extent. Susan puts forward some interesting views about how the world has become dominated by loud brash extrovert people who generally don't appreciate the quieter, more reserved types of people.

You said that you always felt different to other people. This might mean that you can see yourself as an individual. You don't see yourself as similar to the more dominant loud brash and extroverted types of people that tend to stand out and get noticed. These extroverted types can distort everyones view of what is normal to the point where people think there is something wrong with them.

Can you try to take the specialists view as an affirmation that you are more normal than you thought you were? Try and understand yourself, find your strengths and work out how you want to live in the world.

I would suggest that you can still come and take part in the community chat - I don't think anyone will question the fact that you don't have a diagnosis - you are probably a fellow traveller on the spectrum but perhaps are at the milder end of the scale.

:-)

Hi Paulies,

Autism is a spectrum condition that affects people to different degrees. It also affects people differently depending on the social environment of family life, school life, work life etc. The mental health chap may be saying that you are not seriously enough affected to benefit from any clinical intervention such as psychiatric help or drugs to control your behaviour. It may be that your environment has changed and that you are coping better, in some ways, with life now than when someone decided that you should be put in a special school.

So, you may still have autistic traits but not enough to warrant being seen further within the medical system. You can still benefit from learning some things about how you can improve your life. I have read a book called "Living Well on the Spectrum" by Valerie Gaus. If you read this you might find that some of it applies to you and you might be helped by some of the techniques she suggests.

Another book that I have read which talks about standing up for yourself as an introvert is "Quiet" by Susan Cain. If you have some autistic traits then you are likely to be introverted to some extent. Susan puts forward some interesting views about how the world has become dominated by loud brash extrovert people who generally don't appreciate the quieter, more reserved types of people.

You said that you always felt different to other people. This might mean that you can see yourself as an individual. You don't see yourself as similar to the more dominant loud brash and extroverted types of people that tend to stand out and get noticed. These extroverted types can distort everyones view of what is normal to the point where people think there is something wrong with them.

Can you try to take the specialists view as an affirmation that you are more normal than you thought you were? Try and understand yourself, find your strengths and work out how you want to live in the world.

I would suggest that you can still come and take part in the community chat - I don't think anyone will question the fact that you don't have a diagnosis - you are probably a fellow traveller on the spectrum but perhaps are at the milder end of the scale.

:-)