If you were diagnosed( as an adult) with autism...

[Veganfortheanimals]

How did it help you? Was there support ? Medication? Were you glad you knew ? Did people belive you? Basically did a diagnosis improve your life? Thanks in advance

It improved my life as I knew why I did certain things, why I felt certain things, very glad I knew.
There’s no medication to cure autism and I got zero support as an adult!

No help then? Your just left to carry on struggling

There is no professional support as such, but it has meant ive been able to tell people abd get support in other ways, like my workplace making adjustments for me.

It has helped me understand why i feel the way i do and why i have always felt like the odd one out.

There is no medication and no cure... which im glad of because i wpuldnt be me if i wasnt autistic!

I mean kinda, My doctor knows I’m autistic so adapts a little when I need it but I have no actual ongoing support, depending on where you live there might be charities that help, but none where I am. but it gives me the building blocks I needed to understand myself, before I always pressured myself to be “normal” go to shops etc try and function like others, now I know why I freak the fuck out in shops and no amount of trying is going to make me not autistic so I do things that make my life simpler rather then trying to fit in, online shopping, doing Tesco shopping late at night/online etc if you get me. Knowing that when I melt down I’m not “crazy”
For me the knowing, the being able to read other peoples experiences, coping techniques really was worth getting diagnosed.
If you don’t get diagnosed (and you are autistic) then your not gaining anything, your still going to be autistic, so better just to get diagnosed and know for sure!

OH fatty ...hello we have chatted lots in the past on the ninja threads ,I name change a lot ...I feel like I'm going mad a lot of the time ,I keep getting dished out with antidepressants that don't change anything..and I've 2 children with a dx of autism..

Hello!

Honestly, it is often misdiagnosed in adilt women.

Even though there is no specific support, knowing has compketely changed my life.

As i said, I'm able to ask for help now. I can say "that's not going to work for me" wothout feeling like a failure at life!
Im able to have a meltdown and inderstand it isnt something i can control.

It has honestly been one of the best things i did.

I'm not formally diagnosed so have no outside support but realised after retiring that I'm almost certainly autistic (very high score on all online tests).
I feel the same as Golipo - it has explained so much about the way I react to situations and people and the horror of having to be sociable. I can now accept that so many of my traits are because of my autism and use workarounds (ok, avoidance!).

I'm 49 and was diagnosed a couple of months ago. I was given all sorts of websites and and support groups etc which was quite helpful. The main benefit of my diagnosis was letting work know... they're updating various policies etc to accommodate me which is good!

I was diagnosed last year. As others have said, no medication as it's not an illness that you treat, it's a neurological difference. I was given a leaflet and told to look up support groups in my area but I haven't bothered. I did join a Facebook group which was local but I muted it as I found some people post a lot, about everything and I found it boring. Then there are also a LOT of 'oh, woe is me, this happens, is it my autism' and I can't stand that. It's helpful for asking others certain questions and realising they will get it but some people put everything down to their autism. I have been part of other groups for something else I have and I find it draining, that is often very 'woe is me' and 'my left toenail hurts every Tuesday at 10am, is it my X?'

I have found the diagnosis very helpful. I have an explanation and a reason. I'm not just useless. I'm not weird. I have aspergers. I have also been able to 'use' it for work when something was going to happen that would have mesnt my working life was much more difficult and stressful. I spoke to my manager who immediately said it wouldn't happen and they would find a solution that worked for me. I also get made aware of things in advance so it isn't sprung upon me so it's been very useful for work.

I was diagnosed a couple of years ago (I’m mid 30s). For me, the main thing has been understanding myself better. I’m far kinder to myself now. I understand why I am like I am. I try to embrace it rather than fight against it. I recognise when I need to push myself to socialise but give myself permission to rest if I’m fatigued. I’ve disclosed at job interviews to ensure I get an interview if I meet essential criteria. I disclosed at work (although they seem to have no idea how to support me and I don’t know what to ask for ).

One example of a huge difference it made recently - I recently went on my first long haul flight. I am a nervous flyer. I hate queuing up for security, I hate getting on the plane with everyone around me. I hate taking off and landing. But I don’t let that stop me going places! This time I said I had a hidden disability when I arrived at the airport. I was given a lanyard that indicated this, all staff recognised it. We were able to go through the disabled/special assistance lane for security, we boarded the plane before everyone else (well with the physically disabled passengers). The flight attendants recognised it and ensured I was okay, checked on me every so often. The entire process was so much easier for me and I was less stressed than I’d ever felt before when flying, despite the flight being twice as long as any I’d been on previously. No meltdowns, managed to avoid one panic attack. I said to DH I wish I had a something like that lanyard all the time!

So for me, it’s been worth getting diagnosed. I know who I am now and I’ve stopped trying so hard to conform to what I thinks society expects me to be. As DH said the other day, ‘You don’t sweat the small stuff like you used to’.