Self-Diagnosed Aspergirl and New Blogger

I think it is a bit too early to tell... I have had my sensory differences acknowledged too by an Occupational Therapist (not sure if/how much you've read of my blog) and I suppose this week I've had a bit of frustration because of it... I've come to realise that I've been sensory defensive my whole life but without realising that's what it was or that there was even a name for it [I've started reading Too Loud, Too Bright, Too Fast, Too Tight and relate to a lot I've read so far].  While my differences are not so severe to denote a full-blown sensory processing disorder, they do still affect me to a fair degree and at times I wish I didn't have this element of my existence because I find going to the gym virtually unbearable (floor-to-ceiling frosted west-facing windows with no shades which hurt my eyes in the evening with the direct sunlight; the banging and clanging of the weightlifters in the free weights zone; the Club Ibiza dance music piped into the gym's PA system; the big men who wear torn t-shirts and reek of body odor; screaming children in the echoey pool area who insist on jumping in mere inches from my head) and while I know it's good for me to go, I get so stressed out and end up making myself feel ill.  I have managed to just about tolerate it before, but as I've been especially stressed out and wound up about this diagnostic process, my sensitivities have become more acute and my tolerance therefore is much lower.

I think my biggest worry is about being inadvertently discriminated against if I apply for another job and don't get offered it because of the assumptions people may still make about autism.  I'd "tick the box" so to speak for equality reasons, but they might still find another reason to not give me the job without saying specifically that they don't want to hire an autistic person.  My argument would be that I've managed to successfully hold down jobs in my adult life before I had my diagnosis or even realised that I might be autistic, so suddenly having the diagnostic "label" doesn't change who I am intrinsically.  I need a few reasonable adjustments to be made so that my environment doesn't stress me out and that I'm spoken to/given direction in a way that I understand because I take information in a bit differently to other people.  That's always been the case before and now after diagnosis.  I'm lucky that I work in a Local Authority Special Educational Needs Team so if anyone understands reasonable adjustments, it's the managers in my team!

Not that I'm about promoting myself or my blog (because I'm not trying to get famous by any stretch of the imagination - I just want my virtual voice to be added to the growing online collective of women on the spectrum), but I will continue blogging and will write more about my experiences post-diagnosis.

I think it is a bit too early to tell... I have had my sensory differences acknowledged too by an Occupational Therapist (not sure if/how much you've read of my blog) and I suppose this week I've had a bit of frustration because of it... I've come to realise that I've been sensory defensive my whole life but without realising that's what it was or that there was even a name for it [I've started reading Too Loud, Too Bright, Too Fast, Too Tight and relate to a lot I've read so far].  While my differences are not so severe to denote a full-blown sensory processing disorder, they do still affect me to a fair degree and at times I wish I didn't have this element of my existence because I find going to the gym virtually unbearable (floor-to-ceiling frosted west-facing windows with no shades which hurt my eyes in the evening with the direct sunlight; the banging and clanging of the weightlifters in the free weights zone; the Club Ibiza dance music piped into the gym's PA system; the big men who wear torn t-shirts and reek of body odor; screaming children in the echoey pool area who insist on jumping in mere inches from my head) and while I know it's good for me to go, I get so stressed out and end up making myself feel ill.  I have managed to just about tolerate it before, but as I've been especially stressed out and wound up about this diagnostic process, my sensitivities have become more acute and my tolerance therefore is much lower.

I think my biggest worry is about being inadvertently discriminated against if I apply for another job and don't get offered it because of the assumptions people may still make about autism.  I'd "tick the box" so to speak for equality reasons, but they might still find another reason to not give me the job without saying specifically that they don't want to hire an autistic person.  My argument would be that I've managed to successfully hold down jobs in my adult life before I had my diagnosis or even realised that I might be autistic, so suddenly having the diagnostic "label" doesn't change who I am intrinsically.  I need a few reasonable adjustments to be made so that my environment doesn't stress me out and that I'm spoken to/given direction in a way that I understand because I take information in a bit differently to other people.  That's always been the case before and now after diagnosis.  I'm lucky that I work in a Local Authority Special Educational Needs Team so if anyone understands reasonable adjustments, it's the managers in my team!

Not that I'm about promoting myself or my blog (because I'm not trying to get famous by any stretch of the imagination - I just want my virtual voice to be added to the growing online collective of women on the spectrum), but I will continue blogging and will write more about my experiences post-diagnosis.