What now?

Hi kayla.cacti,

Suppose I'm such a close-to-normal-but-not-quite woman. I'm still not entirely sure that I agree with my diagnosis of level 1 autism (which is the same as Asperger's syndrome) but when I read about how women who have that without a learning disability describe themselves I could see quite a few parallels. I'm also rude and arrogant, and (perhaps unlike you) too quiet and disturbing or shocking... CBT wasn't for me either, mainly because I was constantly asked how something made me feel and my answers didn't satisfy the counsellor, so she tried to correct me all the time but the feelings she suggested weren't the ones I had. I'm not sure if that means CBT wouldn't work at all but the person doing it would need to consider that I do actually feel the way I say, even if that isn't how they or "normal" people would feel in the same situation. Apparently I was also too rigid, that's why the assessment was suggested in first place.

Regarding your question about what comes next, I guess they will offer you five sessions of "something". What it is will probably depend on where you go/get sent and what you want. I think here they do something called brief therapy (which seems to be a much more specific thing than it sounds like) but it's up to you what you use these 5 sessions for. Some people use it to get used to the diagnosis, some to deal with specific problems, so to explore what they think should change to make life work better... This is paid for by the NHS, it's part of the diagnosis thing. It seems it commonly takes a while for this to start though, it's unlikely to cover the time shortly after the assessment when you are likely to struggle most with what you found out about yourself and start to question everything. I've had one of those sessions so far and have no idea what to expect. The woman seems to be totally blown by the fact that I've got a PhD and doesn't seem to understand that this is a lot less of an achievement than she thinks and is worth nothing if you have lost your job because you are seen as an unbearable person. So she keeps highlighting my achievements over and over again. I hope this isn't the therapeutic approach because that's not going to work. Anyway, guess I should give it a chance and see if there's anything useful.

Good luck that you don't have to wait for ages and get to see someone who understands you. Guess 5 sessions isn't a lot perhaps it's better than lots of sessions with someone who doesn't have a clue about autism. If you don't hear from them after some time it may be worth asking, it's something you are entitled to.

hello kayla , im matthew and have recently been diagnosed with aspergers

Hi Robert, 

yes photography is very relaxing and rewarding I find.. it kinda changes and becomes more stressful when people/clients are involved haha. but yes I do find solace in my photography. 

i  work digitally so don't need to develop my film but I do find great pleasure in editing my images. 

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Since you are a professional photographer, I must ask, has photography helped you in dealing with life in general.

I find my amateur photography very relaxing.  I did a lot of traveling and photography helps me relax and concentrate at the same time.

Later on developing my images is also a pleasurable way of passing the time.

And looking back and remembering the trips and  reorganising the images is also very stress free and relaxing.

Do other people feel the same way?

Hi quirky friend, that's a really good idea.. thank you, I will do that.

Hi, if you were my step daughter asking (and I'm hoping she will), I would advise you to carry something to record your thoughts over the next few months with the reminder "what things do I want to be different" - and note things you might want to change through social learning or environment adaptions.

It's OK to be selective who you tell. My only "absolute" was it went on her medical records so if she was admitted to hospital it's on the system