Hello

Hi and welcome to the community. I'm a woman in my sixties, retired, and I enjoy reading and playing video games. I'm not formally diagnosed, but discovered that I was on the spectrum around 9 years ago.

Sorry to hear that the diagnostic process caused you distress, but remember that as well as deficits, autistic people also have lots of positive qualities which can include unique problem solving skills, focus, creativity, honesty, loyalty, rational thinking, high emotional empathy and a strong sense of justice.

If you need adjustments due to social or sensory issues you could just ask for adjustments, for example "I find noisy environments distracting, so would it be ok if I wore ear defenders/noise cancelling headphones while I'm working?" Or " The light from the window behind me is affecting my eyes, could a blind be fitted? ". If a reasonable request is denied, you could then consider disclosing your diagnosis, as it is classed as a disability and so they should take it seriously.

I hope you find the forum useful.

Welcome 

Welcome to the community! You don't have to disclose your diagnosis and it's up to you. In many situations it's better to be careful with it, especially at work. It depends also if you need adjustments. From my experience I can say I had my reasonable adjustments at work even long before I knew about autism. Ijust had a need and communicated with tge management. Now I also have my adjustments despite not being officially diagnosed, only suspected. I wish you find here like minded people and support.

Thank you :)

Thank you for sharing your experience! It's good to know it's normal for it to take a while to settle 

Hello and welcome.

There is an article which might help you think more around whether you choose to disclose your Autism to your Employer:

https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/employment/deciding-whether-to-tell-employers-you-are-autisti

You're most welcome! 

Welcome to the community, BeaE. Good to have you here. Bunny's post has lots of great resources so I will instead offer some lived experience if I may.

The diagnostic process requires us to be candid and vulnerable. Receiving a diagnosis often leaves people disoriented by a mix of raw emotions - happy, validated, whole, confused, upset and grieving, maybe all at once. It can take a fair few months to settle.

You are not broken or deficient, but different - and no two autistic folk are the same, either. Be compassionate with yourself, take your time and explore what being autistic means for you.

Disclosure is a personal thing and, as you expressed so beautifully, you can't un-tell someone! Take people's reactions as you find them - some will get it/get you, some may find it hard. Hanging out with more neurodivergent people may help you feel connected and supported, and here is a good place to start.

Thank you! These resources look really helpful as I take some more time to process things

Thank you for your reply! I think I'll take some more time to think about the pros and cons of disclosing at work, as once you tell someone something, you can't un-tell them! Your job working with autistic individuals sounds really cool. I used to work with a lovely openly autistic colleague, but no such luck in my current company

Good morning from America, BeaE!

Congratulations on your diagnosis! I’m sorry to hear that the process has been distressing.

Now in terms of disclosing to your employer, that’s ultimately up to you. My advice, however, is don’t worry so much about disclosing to your employer unless you know they will receive it well and/or you have a specific need.

That being said, It’s really nice having at least someone at work that knows and understands. I’m pretty lucky in my current job that all of my coworkers understand because we work with Autistic individuals, so I’ve felt comfortable telling just about everybody. It has helped with situations like I was able to get out of driving downtown in a major city once because my boss understood that would be too difficult for me in particular.

The sad reality is, though, that while it’s illegal to discriminate based on disability, there are employers out there that do discriminate. It’s best to be careful.

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

Following a diagnosis, it can be common for us to experience a lot of emotional dysregulation - I've linked to an article below about this. It's also common to feel more aware of our traits. This is good information to have, because it enables us to better understand and accommodate ourselves - whether directly, or by asking others for supports. So please don't worry, both are normal!

In respect of getting the right support in your apprenticeship, there's plenty of useful advice here, including about your legal rights and about reasonable adjustments that you might like to request - including to address the kinds of issues that you mentioned:

NAS - Employment

As for many others, my diagnosis turned out to be the start of a new journey of learning and adapting, rather than a conclusion with instant solutions.

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 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

Finally, I'll 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)