Hi

Hi Trev - 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!

Thanks - I've had a bit of a read about autism in the psychology and neuroscience books I have (only a few pages of information and mostly about differences in brain anatomy and characteristics of those with autism), so I've ordered the books you have suggested.

You’re most welcome. Hopefully, your written diagnosis will include some further support and/or self-care suggestions.

You’re most welcome. Hopefully, your written diagnosis will include some further support and/or self-care suggestions.