A friend with autism!

It really is brilliant that more people are learning about autism and being so much more accepting gives me high hopes for the children going through the school system! It’s such a wonderful thing to meet someone who is autistic aswell, I’ve made a few friends this year through their diagnosis’s what shocked me was that some of my friends had always been told they was autistic but never diagnosed! And they didn’t even know what it was so it’s been amazing to explain it to them and connect with them and when we explain scenarios for the other to go “ohhh, you have that feeling too” haha. I think this is why I’d like to help others understand because I got diagnosed at CAHMS while being treated for depression and anxiety but after being diagnosed I didn’t get any follow up sessions to speak about autism or explain it to me they just sent me to the doctor at the facility and put me on antidepressants and other medications! 

Thank you for your kind words and having a lovely chat! ASPIE HUGS BACK ALL THE WAY!

Thank you such lovely words already!! I only joined yesterday and already feels like a burden taken off my shoulders to be able to share things, always here for a good old autistic chat! Haha 

Hi jess it’s good to see the younger people with autism helping out like you want to.

Its good to see that things are changing albeit slowly to being more understood, by that I mean the younger who were diagnosed earlier in their lives have at least had time to try and work with the good things we bring and try to manage what causes us issues.

 I am rambling and I am quite old, I met my first diagnosed young Male whilst st a funeral, I was talking to the son of the work colleague who had died, he introduced me to his best mate, his first question to me was “ are you autistic?” I was quite taken aback but he then went on to  say the things I was telling the son about how me and his dad were different to most and had equally strange ideas and likes and dislikes made him think I might be.

He then told me he was autistic and had often heard how difficult things were for the older people with autism. He then went through many of the things the older of us talk about mostly, he said it was upsetting to hear such stories and was glad things were better understood now.

I told him I really did think I was autistic and asked if it was ok to shake his hand, he said ok no worries,,, it was a feeble handshake by high of us, we chatted for ages, he told me being diagnosed st a very early age he just got in with it, his school mates just accepted he was different. 

Now that’s encouraging compared to us older ones who suffered a great deal st school.

thank you for offering to be friends or to help parents it’s a beautiful thjng your doing.

 Take care and here’s an aspie virtual hug for you ()

Welcome to the forum, Jess.

That's really generous of you, and I've often seen here how it's possible for us autistic adults to help out parents by sharing our experiences of what autism is like "from the inside". I'm sure that your insights will be very welcome (you'll probably remember them better than old fogies like me, too!). And don't forget that we're here to help you too; it's a really supportive community, and people will be glad to share with you any advice they have about finding and keeping employment, or anything else you might find yourself struggling with from time to time.