Hi folks

Congratulations on your autism diagnosis and welcome to the community!

There are plenty of older, late-diagnosed and late-realised people here, so you're in good company!

My own diagnosis turned out to be the start of a new journey of learning and adapting. I'd suggest taking extra care to be patient to, and kind with, yourself - and to take your time with processing everything.

The NAS has a great set of articles focused on "after diagnosis", including one covering how you might feel over time, and others covering support. You might find them helpful as a starting point:

NAS - How will I feel after receiving an autism diagnosis - includes perspectives from other autistic people

NAS - Other advice covering post-diagnosis - including these and more:

• 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 are 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 might instead be able to self refer for talking therapy. 

Before arranging anything 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:

Amazon UK - 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:

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

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

Congratulations on your autism diagnosis and welcome to the community!

There are plenty of older, late-diagnosed and late-realised people here, so you're in good company!

My own diagnosis turned out to be the start of a new journey of learning and adapting. I'd suggest taking extra care to be patient to, and kind with, yourself - and to take your time with processing everything.

The NAS has a great set of articles focused on "after diagnosis", including one covering how you might feel over time, and others covering support. You might find them helpful as a starting point:

NAS - How will I feel after receiving an autism diagnosis - includes perspectives from other autistic people

NAS - Other advice covering post-diagnosis - including these and more:

• 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 are 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 might instead be able to self refer for talking therapy. 

Before arranging anything 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:

Amazon UK - 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:

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

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

A big thank you to the lovely people who replied to my post.

I appreciate the advice and will digest it, hopefully slowly, and act on it.

It is good to know I am not alone. I appreciate this outlet as I do not want to over-burden my very supportive partner. She has helped me through so much already.

Here's to starting a new journey!