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Just wanted to introduce myself

Kev_H_84

Hello all. My name is Kevin and I have recently been diagnosed autistic at the age of 41. My consultant also highly suspected ADHD but I couldn't afford to pay for further assessments. Unfortunately my NHS board do not offer any neurodivergence assessment services for adults.  A lot of things fell in place just after my diagnosis that helped to explain my past behaviours. Now im feeling a little lost. The journey is just beginning and I'm excited to see what comes, but I understand its a long scary road ahead.

I have been off work since August after my diagnosis and i'm not sure how I'm going to return. But as a grown man with a wife, 2 daughters, and a mortgage, i really need to figure it out soon. The lack of support for adults is depressing. How have other people managed in the working environment? I have been an engineer in the British Army with operational tours under my belt, and now i'm a Chartered Building Surveyor so I know I am capable of achieving great things. I just can't see myself returning to my current role now that I know i'm autistic.

I hope I can meet some like mind people in the community.

Parents

  • Good afternoon Kevin,

    Working with Autism can be tricky, but as you already know it’s not impossible. One thing to consider is that yes, you have accomplished some impressive work feats, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they were good for you. It is possible that working in those conditions could have been pushing you towards burnout.

    I’m of a mind that there’s probably a job out there that suits you fine, but you may need to be open to working below your talents to find that position that caters to your needs. I was reaching a burnout point with teaching music for 10 years, so I scaled back and took a job as a packer at a factory. Was it a little below what I was capable of? Maybe. Did it have significantly less mental strain than the teaching job? Definitely.

    That said, this may be a time you approach the workforce with an open mind about what you should be doing.

  • in reply to profdanger

    Hi there, thanks for the reply. I definitely think my current role pushed me towards burnout. I am going to return to work part time whilst assessing my options.

    I should probably take the fact that I was looking at job vacancies almost everyday before I went off as a sign. I was actually considering going into teaching but the stress is definitely a factor.

    I firmly believe no job is beneath me. If I could make stacking shelves in a supermarket or delivering parcels work then I’ll be all over it. One of the best jobs I had was cleaning cars for Arnold Clark.

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  • in reply to profdanger

    Hi there, thanks for the reply. I definitely think my current role pushed me towards burnout. I am going to return to work part time whilst assessing my options.

    I should probably take the fact that I was looking at job vacancies almost everyday before I went off as a sign. I was actually considering going into teaching but the stress is definitely a factor.

    I firmly believe no job is beneath me. If I could make stacking shelves in a supermarket or delivering parcels work then I’ll be all over it. One of the best jobs I had was cleaning cars for Arnold Clark.

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