Hi, I’m Erin, I’m 23 years old and I have Level 1 Autism. I was diagnosed December last year. I’ve always known I had autism, everyone just thought I was insane. I waited about 6 years to be told something I already knew the answer to. I was scared at first, because I thought this diagnosis was going to change me as a person. I have to remind myself that I’m still the same person I was before I got the diagnosis. I struggle with a lot of things in my daily life, some things as simple as brushing my teeth and making my bed. I was always called lazy, disgusting or my favourite one.. an attention seeker.
Usually when people hear that you’ve got high functioning autism, they instantly think “oh so you don’t really have it, you can still look after yourself”. We all struggle in our own ways. Sensory issues have been a massive thing for me. Which has stopped me from going to social events, resulting in me losing friends and being known as untrustworthy.
Ever since getting my Diagnosis I’ve felt lost not knowing what to do with myself. I wasn’t offered any further support, so I’ve spend months trying to figure out a plan for myself. I’m currently jobless and have been for over a year, I tend to feel lonely and bored as I’ve lost all my friends. I’m hoping to see a doctor soon to discuss further support, so that’s one positive thing.
This is only a small part of my story, I’ve been terrified to reach out to other people that are like me, but I realised what have I got to lose. <3
