Late Diagnosis & Support & Relationships

Hi Dec - congratulations on your diagnosis and welcome to the community! 

There are plenty of late-realised (and/or late-diagnosed) people here, so you're in good company.

The NAS has a great set of articles focused on "after diagnosis", including one covering how you might feel during the subsequent days / weeks / months. You might find them of interest and/or helpful:

NAS - How you might feel after a diagnosis - includes perspectives from other autistics

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. If you prefer, depending on where you are in the UK, you may instead be able to self refer for talking therapy on the NHS.

Before arranging it, you might find it helpful to borrow or buy this book, which includes discussion of 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

I'll also just mention a couple of books that I and others have found helpful early on in our post-diagnosis journeys:

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

How to Be Autistic (free download currently available via this page)

Dec said:

I am struggling to come to terms with the diagnosis and understanding what support is available. I struggle with communication, I get easily overwhelmed if routines are changed causing shutdowns and am extremely sensitive to lights and noise. I also have struggles with motor skills. 

All of this has meant that I am struggling to explain to my employer what support I need and it also means that I struggle with sustaining any type of friendship or relationship. 

You might also find these resources helpful:

NAS - Employment - includes articles about requesting reasonable adjustments.

NAS - Common examples of reasonable adjustments - including for the areas you mentioned: communication, sensitivity to lights and noise, and dealing with change.

NAS - Socialising and relationships

Perhaps the most important thing I'd say at the moment is to take your time, work through things at your own pace, and be kind to yourself. x

Hi Dec - congratulations on your diagnosis and welcome to the community! 

There are plenty of late-realised (and/or late-diagnosed) people here, so you're in good company.

The NAS has a great set of articles focused on "after diagnosis", including one covering how you might feel during the subsequent days / weeks / months. You might find them of interest and/or helpful:

NAS - How you might feel after a diagnosis - includes perspectives from other autistics

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. If you prefer, depending on where you are in the UK, you may instead be able to self refer for talking therapy on the NHS.

Before arranging it, you might find it helpful to borrow or buy this book, which includes discussion of 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

I'll also just mention a couple of books that I and others have found helpful early on in our post-diagnosis journeys:

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

How to Be Autistic (free download currently available via this page)

Dec said:

I am struggling to come to terms with the diagnosis and understanding what support is available. I struggle with communication, I get easily overwhelmed if routines are changed causing shutdowns and am extremely sensitive to lights and noise. I also have struggles with motor skills. 

All of this has meant that I am struggling to explain to my employer what support I need and it also means that I struggle with sustaining any type of friendship or relationship. 

You might also find these resources helpful:

NAS - Employment - includes articles about requesting reasonable adjustments.

NAS - Common examples of reasonable adjustments - including for the areas you mentioned: communication, sensitivity to lights and noise, and dealing with change.

NAS - Socialising and relationships

Perhaps the most important thing I'd say at the moment is to take your time, work through things at your own pace, and be kind to yourself. x