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Newly diagnosed

Marie :)

Hi everyone,

Yesterday, my daughter was officially diagnosed with autism, and I’m still processing everything. I want to make sure I’m doing the best I can for her, but I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed and unsure where to start.

What kind of support or help can I get within the home? Are there services, therapies, or resources you found particularly helpful early on? I’d also love to hear any advice on what steps to take next, both emotionally and practically.

Any guidance, personal experiences, or even just reassurance would be so appreciated. TThank you. 

  • in reply to Marie :)

    Hi 

    I'm one of the many on here who are late diagnosed so don't have direct experience of being diagnosed at a younger age, but hopefully someone who was will be able to give you some better and more helpful advice that I can offer which is limited

    Hopefully the links  highlighted are of help.  Other than that the Services Directory  is worth trying . 

    From what I've seen there appears to be more support groups available for children and parents/carers than for adults - although some charities like the one in my area do cover both .  I've also seen family support groups on the facebook group for where I live, so maybe look out for any of those near you too, even if its just connecting with other parents I'm sure would be useful

    Lastly have seen this at Reading Uni Wellbeing Hub which has a newsletter you can sign up to and runs a free monthly online event.

  • in reply to Jalapeno

    Hi. Sorry for the late reply. She is 13, Year 8

  • Hi Marie - welcome back to the community, and congratulations on securing your daughter's diagnosis! Slight smile

    The NAS has a great set of articles focused on "after diagnosis", including one covering how your daughter might feel during the subsequent days / weeks / months. You - and she - might find them of interest and/or helpful:

    NAS - How you might feel after a diagnosis

    NAS - Other advice covering post-diagnosis including:

    • Talking about and disclosing your autism diagnosis
    • Emotional support for family members after a diagnosis
    • Formal support following an autism diagnosis - including in respect of benefits, school, and more. 
    • What can I do if formal support is not offered or is not enough

    Your daughter might also find the resources here helpful:

    NAS - Resources for autistic teenagers -  "The Know Yourself series is a set of free resources which includes videos and downloadable guides aiming to support you and others like you to understand what being autistic means."

    Finally, you might like to consider seeking emotional support from other parents who are in a similar situation via the NAS's parent-to-parent helpline:

    NAS - Parent to Parent Emotional Support Helpline

  • Hi Marie, wish you both well on your journey (it will take time).  If you let people know approx age of your daughter e.g perhaps what level at school or rough age bracket if beyond school , hopefully some others on here can give you some good pointers on their experience.  

    I'm recent late diagnosed male so won't be much help - but my daughter in 20s may seek assessment soon as she scored high on the online embrace tests.  So we may be walking the same path soon