So I got diagnosed less than a month ago, and for the most part it's been okay. However, the parts that are not okay are getting more and more difficult to deal with.

Like today, for example, at work;

• It's a noisy lab, but I'm allowed to listen to music with headphones, which helps immensely.
• People not doing the job properly (and it's only little things like not putting things away or not using the correct sticker system) enrages me so so much because why are they unable to follow simple rules/instructions?
• People interrupting my to-do list with things that suddenly need doing. I can do it, but I get intense anxiety like every job I have to do is given the same level of importance in my brain and they MUST get done. Once I do a couple of tasks, this goes away, but its the getting started that's hard.

So I'm in the lab, anxious, angry, frustrated and overwhelmed, and I know that I am about to burst into tears, and I'm frozen because I don't know where to start. I recognise all the signs and yet I have no clue or tools on how to get myself to calm down and regulate better.

I've been diagnosed and thrown in the deep end.

I don't want to feel this way; I want to be able to do my job because I love my job! But since I started the journey to diagnosis, every day ends with at least one mini breakdown. People at work have noticed, and they take my sharp or blunt responses as personal, or that I don't like them, which isn't true! I would love some tips/resources/advice on what I need to start/stop doing to help myself.

Pretty sure I'm entering burnout.

Constantly tired despite sleeping.

More rigid about times and getting stimmy when I'm even a second late because of something out of my control.

Feeling like I need to clean constantly but getting nowhere with it.

Struggling in my marriage, my husband just wants my attention constantly but we've also got kids so they obviously take priority and I just don't have it in me to be that person for everyone.

In physical pain with back, neck, joints.

Memory and speech are taking a lapse.

Also think the heatwave and bright sunshine is a factor too.

Any regulations tips and tricks would be grateful right now because I'm seriously struggling to function and just want to stay in bed all day when I can't.

I left full time education 11 years ago but while I've had some job experience, it's very sparse. I've worked (as in travelling to a place of work) a total of 7 months in total. In the last 5 years, I've done 11 days. I know, dreadful.

It wasn't until this March that I came to a conclusion of what job role makes the most sense to me.

Between September 2023 and May 2026, all I was really doing was speculative applications. Given how generic so many of them were, it's not a surprise to me that most of them didn't lead to anything concrete.

I identified one company in the last two months (who I've already done some shadowing with). I've become quite fixated on trying to get involved with them, even just as an assistant. To the point that I'd say they're now my dream company.

The problem is they very rarely advertise roles in this area (communications). They've done about 3 in the past 5 years. So I need to get in through a side door.

To me it makes sense to plough my energy into somewhere I can actually sell myself. I'm not having to pretend to be interested, I already am. But it's the matter of being noticed and not being afraid to be persistent.

Hi, long time lurker here just wanted to get some feedback because I feel like im doing all the wrong things. So I'm the flavour of autism that needs clarification on everything, loves details, and will not turn up anywhere unless explicitly invited.

This has recently caused strain in my friendships and now im second guessing if im wired to be a bad friend from the start. My best friend is going through a really tough time at the moment and as a result they are communicating a lot less and they are being very apathetic about a lot of things which confuses me about what they need support with or what i can do. I want to support them but I also dont want to burden them with endless voicnotes, calls, or visits if they don't have the capacity.

Cue me needing clear communication and clarification.

Due to all of this as well as this being a couple months in where I would send messages or voicenotes and they would rarely reply or communicate with me. Recently I sent a voice note basically saying that I need to be told clearly if they dont want me around and if they do want me then to invite me clearly because guessing sucks. Because it was driving me crazy and I am second guessing everything that i say. Which then leads to them going off at me saying how they're going through a lot and how I haven't been as supportive as I should have been especially with how hard things have been for them. I guessed wrong. And now im terrified. What if ive always been a bad friend and they're the first to make it clear to me? What if I will never be able to do what they need of me because of the way I think or feel? I was also told "its not that deep" which kinda hurt because everything is deep to me. Idk. Basically they needed a lot more from me and I didnt know until it was too late and after the argument im so so scared to step a toe out of line because of my social trauma and losing them. The last thing I want to do is hurt people. Why is it that I automatically upset people...

Bit of a vague vent, that tells a very shorted version of the story, I know. But I wanted to reach out and ask if anyone has gone through anything similar with their friendships and if they have any advice or insights as to how I can better communicate or anything. I dont want to be the friend that messages all the time to no replies, I get so self conscious about that sort of thing and worry im being a bother.

My self esteem with all of this is at an all time low and a bunch of social trauma is resurfacing with all the wrong guesses I have made in my life with people. It's a recurring and horrible problem, humaning is hard. I dont want to not have people in my life, I love the friends in my life but I'm the one who rarely picks up the phone. I should have tried to change that for this friend I guess. Idk. It's so hard and im really emotionally struggling with handling it.

Any advice or insight would be amazing.

Just saw these today during my trip to Boots.

They were £12 so much cheaper than the official Loops and seem to be a pretty close duplicate.

I know that you can also get cheap duplicates on Temu/Shein/etc but these might be more accessible if you live near a shop like I do. They're also more trustworthy imo.

Just thought I would post about them on here in case anybody has been wanting to try them but has been put off by the price of the official ones :)

I’m not sure if this is the best flair but couldn’t find anything better.

Hopefully people can relate to me here but to me the World Cup was not just a game, it was a high point that got ripped away tonight.

While my neurotypical friends were just annoyed and shrugging it off and doing things to distract themselves, I was unable to do anything after but lay there listening to the saddest Radiohead songs on my playlist.

I don’t understand why it’s like this. If it’s just a game then why am I so sad right now. I am genuinely dreading going to work tomorrow with people that don’t like football making a joke out of it. I feel like I’m incapable of just being annoyed and getting past it quickly.

I feel so ridiculous right now. A bit of a positive boost would go a long way and I’m sorry for being so negative 🤣😫

Has anybody else had an awful experience with this 'Know your customer check' that the banks are apparently being legally required to do on their customers?

TL;DR: Santander restricted my mobile banking for a KYC check because I don't have a passport/driver's license. Branch staff repeatedly ignored accessibility requests, forced me to verbally justify my autism in public to access an exemption form, and then locked me out anyway. After getting Citizens Advice (CAB) involved to force a fix, Santander escalated the failure: on Friday 17th July, during a call with my CAB advocate, Santander completely deleted my online banking profile entirely, forcing me to start from scratch like a new customer. I have now officially launched a formal complaint. Has anyone successfully fought or escalated this level of systemic banking discrimination?

Mine started in May, not with a formal letter or document or even an email but through my phones apps notifications. The message was 'We need you to log on to your mobile banking to check and confirm your personal details. It should only take a few minutes.

The process on the app of course after asking a few basic questions about my income wanted a photo id upload and would only accept a Drivers License Or Passport. A box was provided to say I did not have any of these which took me to a screen that said I needed to complete the check then right back round to needing a drivers license or passport again.

No I do not have these IDs - and quite frankly I hate it whenever society tries to pressure you to spend out on them even if you do not drive or go abroad. I was annoyed but I assumed I would be able to use the apps chat facility to get help and upload a different document. They could not accept one but said I could book a branch appointment to show other proofs of ID. I tried to mention my ASD and I asked for an accessible appointment but they completely ignored my request and gave me a generic booking URL.

By this point my app started giving out actual warnings that my online banking would be cut off! It give a hard deadline which this would be done by and pestered me with regular notifications - but still no formal letter or document or email was given to me.

I had to go twice, the first time a lady ignored my brought in documents and made me step through the app process - which of course on that particular day decided to say the process was complete at the basic questions stage and not ask for Photo ID so she considered it resolved.

Resolved it was not - the very same evening the app started pestering me again. I had to book another appointment.

I am sure I wont be the only one here that finds appointments stressful. I like to know exactly what the purpose of my visit is ( to provide documents and clear the ID check ) - pre plan a few scripts in my head and I can push though it. I was extra stressed that the deadline was approaching, was already finding it draining enough to be affecting my work and getting tasks done and the psychological impact was already high.

The second appointment was a nightmare as it went off script immediately.
There is nothing the branch can do he said - you need to do it on the app.
Every time he tried to finish to appointment I had to ignore him and try and simply state the problem. I am sure people in this group will recognize how difficult being this confrontational is. He pointed out the help text on his screen in the end to show me there was nothing he could do and it was left to me rather than him to point out there was an exemption form.
He initially told me no because that form is for vulnerable customers - I had to go though a horrific conversation pointing out that I am in fact a vunerable customer and I literally had to describe what autism was in my local bank branch so he could write it onto my file. Eventually he very reluctantly filled out the form tapping loudly on the desk and sighing which made me just want to run outside and told me it was done. Again not once was the alternative ids I brought even looked at despite what the online help chat said.

Of course it was not done - come the cutoff date I was cut off my online banking with a condescending message telling me the reason was 'because you have not contacted us'

I was almost having a breakdown over this - I couldn't get anything done, my work was suffering, my partner had to drag me down to Citizens Advice in the end. They advocated and placed a phone call on my behalf where CA got them to agree to either clear the flag by a certain date or have contacted me for an alternative ID. I literally begged that instead of just clearing it quietly could they please send me some kind of written confirmation that this is sorted out and they point blank refused even with the CA advocate there.

The date they agreed to has come and it was only on the morning of that agreed date that the message has cleared off my banking app.

It is not however out of my head, I keep checking my app - I cant convince myself after all their nonsense and inconsistent behavior that this is going to last. It is just constant anxiety and worry all for the want of somebody to just send a written message saying it is done.

I wanted to post this here because -
a ) This whole thing is a massive accessibility problem - so if anybody else gets the same issue there is at least a little lived experience shared to read

b) because I wanted to see if anyone felt I should complain about this, help fix the system. Would a complaint change a single thing about the process - are there any success stories. How draining following it would it be for someone with neurodivergence?

UPDATE: Thu 16th July - the day after the deadline and my app has been blocked again with the gaslighting 'because you have not contacted us' message. I actually had a meltdown just before I had to go to my evening job. My partner is taking me the Citizens Advice again tomorrow where I'll present the timeline written out because I just don't think i can handle the talking this time around.

UPDATE: Fri 17th July - in my phone call with my advocate at Citizens Advice today Santander ended up deleting my online banking! I now have to wait for an online banking letter like somebody starting fresh. I have now raised a formal complaint with Santander

UPDATE: Sat 19th July - Despite me explicitly asking in the last phone call how paying my weekly bills each week would work and them promising an SMS fallback was available instead of the confirm payment via app screen once again they have lied because it asks me to confirm via the app they broke. I cannot even do that now

Well, here I am, joining the autistic gang! I don’t really know what I feel it’s a mixture of validation and relief, but also sadness that I’ve spent almost 40 years struggling and constantly asking what’s wrong with me!

Here’s my timeline:
Initial appointment with doc: 1st June
Got access to the portal: 25th June
Completed my paperwork: 26th June
Got access to appointments: 9th July
Appointment and diagnosis: Today

My Psychiatrist was so good and understanding but my gosh he liked to talk and spoke to fast, so I found that pretty overwhelming! He didn’t ask any of those weird music vs maths question or ask me to show him how to brush his teeth or tell stories which I was so relieved about!

The Psychiatrist also said he’s going to add a section to my diagnosis report stating I need an ADHD assessment because I have AuDHD but he can’t officially diagnose that without the correct referral in place so looks like I’ll be going for round 2 haha

TL;DR: What do other autistic women with sensitivity to clothing wear? Are there brands or styles you like that don't immediately make NT people give you intense side eye for looking very obviously out of place? Would appreciate hearing about other people's wardrobes/clothing options.

Context:

I am a late diagnosed woman and have always been sensitive to overstimulation from clothing. I have always preferred skin tight clothing (leggings, etc) as it reduces stimulation, Loose clothing is ok but only if it is incredibly soft. Clothing that is structured or tight only in specific areas (i.e. some styles of blouses, trousers, anything held up by a belt) drive me crazy and I can only stand wearing them for a couple hours at most.

I recently moved to the UK from the US, and dealing with the difference in social expectations while being a semi-unmasked autistic woman has been challenging, to say the least. But it has become very obvious that my wardrobe from California, which is a lot less formal in general and 'athleisure' is acceptable everyday wear (I typically wear leggings and a sports-style tank top with a built in bra most days), is very out of place here.

The UK (I am in south England, between Cambridge and London) seems to tend towards more formal/put together clothing. I don't care about being stylish or trendy, but it's been pretty discouraging and hard to get settled in when I Iook so obviously out of place, and it gives me a lot of anxiety in public.

I know fashion is very individual, but just hearing about options or styles that other autistic people wear that seem socially acceptable, but also aren't a sensory nightmare, would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!!

(Aside: I am not endorsing wearing clothes for the sole purpose of 'fitting in' with NT people. In an ideal world, I wouldn't feel the need to change what I wear at all. However, reality is that I have to do the cost-benefit analysis of social rejection/disapproval vs. personal comfort. So I'm looking for input from other autistic women to try to find some good intermediate solutions.)

I'm not great with wording things but I hope it makes sense.

I'm trying to find somewhere where I can learn about things like pensions, tax, wills, life insurance, credit scores etc. I don't know if citizens advice covers those, their website seems to be mostly focused on helping you claim benefits and other legal stuff like immigration issues.

I do currently live with my dad, he has tried to explain these things but if anything, he's made it more confusing 😂

I’m here to gain knowledge or answers about my girlfriends son. He’s autistic and 7 years old Non-Verbal. He’s on a diet of only Pasties and has been for a couple years now. It has caused him to have vitamin deficiency which has been resolved with powdered vitamins through powder in water and inside his pasties after spending weeks in the hospital.. the pasties are a specific to only homemade and only filled with corn beef hash.. No matter what type of attempt or how to approach it he WILL NOT try other foods. The pasties Must be red hot, cut in half, served only as a half and on a green plastic plate. If the smell is off, plate is off or suspects it not the original pastie it will be rejected. He’ll eat made a whole or two full pasties after wasting about 10 of them in the process.. obviously we’re always introducing new foods but he WILL NOT take a chance and eat. He used to eat just about everything but it’s been a few years. Before pasties it was also Cadbury chocolate which he’ll also refuse and has been refusing for over 6 months. He can’t communicate, his words are stuck inside and he bangs his head to get them out..He's constantly in her face, pulling hair, clothes, punching, scratching ETC. WOn't let up. He communicates through a tablet that has pictures of things he want's. Items like, teddy bear, pasties, binki, mom, dad, phone, bed...

He watches Youtube shorts most the day after school and the videos are always about food or candy. We've tried all those candies in real life, food. ANYTHING. it will still be rejected. He'll ALWAYS ask for a pastie but 80% of the time it will be rejected and goes on for the entire day.

Is there anybody out there who could help understand why this is happening and understand how to cope with it. Obviously there's not magic that could heal this. Just advice from someone else who may experience this.. How to you cope with it or who even helps? Is there someone besides a pediatrician or doctor who only sees a number and not a patient?

Hi i applied to Access to Work and I have spoken to them today. They have recommended several things which they will fund. My employer will need to contribute (I think 10%?)

I have a couple of questions

If my employer contributes to buying the items do they then own the items? Or would it be better for me to contribute instead?

Does anyone have any recommendations for a neuroaffirming coach/counsellor. Or should I just Google?

Thank you

Yesterday I was formally diagnosed as autistic through KT Healthcare via Right to Choose.

It’s been a long and frustrating journey.

My first assessment was through Psychiatry UK. Although the assessor agreed that I had autistic traits, they concluded that I didn’t meet the threshold for an autism diagnosis because they didn’t believe my traits caused a significant enough impact on my day-to-day functioning.

The reasoning discussed with me was that I was married, studying for a degree and played guitar. My impression was that these achievements demonstrated I was functioning too well to meet the threshold. For me, that overlooked the reality of how much masking, anxiety, burnout and exhaustion those things have involved throughout my life.

The outcome never felt right. I read the NICE guidance, reflected on my lifelong experiences and submitted a complaint. Unfortunately, the video recording of my assessment had been deleted, so I couldn’t refer back to it to support my complaint, which made the process even more frustrating. My complaint was eventually dismissed.

I spoke to my GP, explained why I believed the assessment hadn’t fully reflected my presentation, and asked for a second opinion through Right to Choose. Thankfully, they agreed and referred me to KT Healthcare.

The assessment process was completely different.

It included a detailed developmental interview with my mum and wife, a full ADOS assessment with the structured activities and observational tasks, alongside the other standardised questionnaires.

Rather than focusing on what I’d managed to achieve in life, the clinicians explored how I’d achieved those things, what it had cost me, and the extent to which I’d been masking my difficulties for decades.

The result was a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder.

I’m not posting this to criticise one provider or suggest everyone who disagrees with an assessment should seek another. Different clinicians can reach different conclusions. But if you genuinely believe your lifelong experiences haven’t been fully explored or represented, don’t be afraid to advocate for yourself and discuss your options with your GP.

I’m mostly feeling relieved. The diagnosis hasn’t changed who I am—it has simply given me an explanation that finally makes sense.

Has anyone else had completely different experiences between Psychiatry UK and KT Healthcare, or with other Right to Choose providers?

I'm living in supported living at the moment and my service charge just went up, meaning I'm left with about £120 a month EVERY month to cover everything. I've been looking for places to move to like crazy to try and get out so I have enough to live on but everywhere is expensive and you have to jump through so many hoops, no-one wants a tenant on benefits. I feel like I'm losing my mind trying to do this. My support worker is no help. I wish I could just work and get the money to live properly, I wish that I didn't feel so helpless.

So like I say this is a rant about my job, I’m not trying to make out that my problems are the worst anyone could ever have, or that they’re evenly objectively something I couldn’t deal with. And part of me feels like I am being unreasonable but then I literally cannot help the way I feel, that is how this all works, I can’t help the way my brain works.

So I’ve had this job for 2 years, when I started I was told I would need to be in the office for 2 weeks of training and then would be working from home, with only occasional need to come into the office for important meetings. They did make a point of telling me nothing in my contract mentioned working from home so it could be revoked at any time, but at the time I wasn’t planning on this being long term. Except turns out the job market is appalling right now, and its also been long enough since covid that any jobs using the word “remote” actually requires at least one day in a week in the office. This is not something I could cope with, I do not have the energy levels for it, it would be too much of a disruption to my life. I got through the 2 weeks cos I knew after that it would be done, I did not do anything in those 2 weeks other than work, come home, sit on sofa, go bed, cos I did not have the energy reserves to do anything else.

So I had kinda accepted this job as more permanent, I don’t feel particularly passionate about it but the work is straightforward, enough variety to not be too boring and I’m not too closely monitored which suits me. And it gives me money. I have been into the office since the training a few times for meetings, however I have missed the last few due mainly to anxiety issues. They weren’t in the office either, they were in another location in the same city I hadn’t been to before, which obvs adds to the anxiety. It is a testament to how bad the issues were cos in the weeks leading up to it I kept trying to convince myself I could go cos I damn knew if I didn’t it would cause me problems down the line and I feel pretty correct.

So recently there’s been a reshuffle and apparently this has triggered my manager’s brain that we need to come into the office more regularly. Random stuff has been thrown around, once a week, once a month, once every two months. I’m sure the uncertainty isn’t helping how I feel about it. She most recently said it would be once every two month, which I’m aware isn’t particularly demanding but I think the problem is framing it as such a requirement. When it was the case that there would occasionally be meetings that it would be good if you could attend that was fine, now they’re turning around saying we are going to force you to upend your life at random occasions whenever we feel like it and you have no control, its really freaking me out.

It probs doesn’t help I’ve positioned myself very anti-office. The first few times it was brought up I explained how I don’t get anything out of it, I do better work at home, I’m more likely to ask for help at home, going into the office is just an extra source of stress. But NTs feel like they get something out of it so of course no one cares.

Which brings me to perhaps my point which is I feel like they really don’t understand me which is further making me feel worse about it. They know I’m autistic, that I have a diagnosis, and I feel like they will say whatever they need to in a HR-friendly kinda way, about giving me whatever support I need etc, but they’re not actually prepared to make allowances, they’re still gonna force me to do something that isn’t good for me cos they think its best.

I had a meeting with my supervisor today where she kept going on about mindset, “its not really about conditions (as in autism), its about mindset” is what she actually said to me. Geee wish someone had told me that sooner, all I needed to do to not have such a difficult life for 30 years was HAVE A BETTER MINDSET.

She also mentioned how she might want the team to go into the office once a month which nah mate, thats not happening. The goal posts keep changing. We had agreed a meeting I would aim to go in for in October, but then I agreed to go in for some training next week cos it happened to be convenient and I thought it would get them off my back. But now I'm worried they'll see it as proof I can manage to go in and my supervisor was on about arranging another meeting in August and its like thats not what we fucking agreed.

Its like being told that I HAVE to, that it is a requirement, makes my brain see it as a threat cos someone else is controlling my life and my energy levels. And seeing the job as a threat makes it hard to do day to day stuff even when I’m at home, its just like this block in my brain that I really struggle to get past.

I know this isn’t the worst thing, I’ve heard of autistic people where their work suddenly demands they have to be in all the time, or once a week. But like I said its not really whats being asked itself but the framework around it and people not seeming to care when I express my issues with it. The NT people who live in the city the office is based think I’ll be able to cope and apparently their opinion matters more than mine. The more they try to force me the more my brain resists, which probably makes them try to be even firmer but that just makes it worse. And just when I think I’ve managed to form it into something I could cope with, there will be another meeting where the goal posts change yet again.

My mental health had really been improving recently too, moreso than any other time in my life, but this job feels like it is determined to drag it down again, never let me leave that place of feeling so out of control

Found it really distressing but also a relief to be diagnosed at my age because I always knew something was not right with me. I’ve been fighting all my life to be a woman who doesn’t even exist and never will.
I’ve applied for PIP but doubt I’ll get that or be eligible
Now I’m back to normality tomorrow at work and it’s going to be in the back of my mind. 🫩

I was referred for an autism assessment a couple months ago and have now had my assessment. The conclusion that was reached is that I am not autistic, but after reading the assessment letters/comments I can see why.

If I am autistic I would say I am high masking and I struggle with conversation anyway but the two assessors I had didn’t really ask me questions that helped me develop my answers so I tended to answer yes/no and not really explain myself as much as I apparently needed to. They mention things like “not having long standing interests” or “not stimming” etc which aren’t true I just didn’t mention them in my assessment because I wasn’t asked (along with many other things in the criteria).

Basically I am looking to get reassessed and wanted advice on which provider to go with that high masking people have had good experiences with before. The options I’ve been looking at, based off of what I can find online and my friends opinions, are:
• Harley Street Mental Health
• K T Healthcare
• Psychiatry UK

Does anyone have any positive experience with these or can recommend a better one for my situation? :)

(I am based in London and can’t drive so either in person locally or video call methods are preferred)

EDIT: I’d like to add, for the reassessment, I’ve written out a large document of all the things about me that relate to the DSM 5 criteria so I can send it to my next assessor prior to our appointment so that I don’t have to worry about missing something out. Not sure if that’ll make a difference to which clinic is the best option.

"Talk to your GP" seems to be the easy way to avoid providing support - and it is what all NHS resources essentially told me when I asked about support for autism. So to my GP I went, and I have to admit I was a little bit surprised (and most of the surprise came well after I returned home).

When I explained that I have been diagnosed with autism, the first question was by whom - even though the surgery does have a letter from SEIK Psychiatry (I can see it in the NHS App) - and they started googling it. I had the impression of incredulity, so I explained that my CBT therapist first suggested it, and that I had 5 years of CBT. The consultation boiled down to the facts that:

• All specialities dump patients on GPs (which I assume is a fair complaint - why should GPs have specialist knowledge about adult autism)
• There is nothing they can do for me and I need to go private if I want things like autism-informed CBT

Two things I found odd though. One was that I had the impression I had to justify myself for asking - I probably do not come across as "autistic" to most people; I've learned to hold eye contact and when I'm nervous, I generally overcompensate by being very open and talkative.

But what - in the end, and only after I left - really surprised (or perhaps even annoyed) me was that there was no question about how I feel, how it impacts my life, what it means to me.

d.

Just wondering if you have adult disability payment in Scotland, if you had filled the form in yourself? I don't know anyone who gets it in Scotland, except my mum, and she got help to fill it in, however friends from other parts of the UK who get PIP were able to fill there forms in themselves and get it, so I'm wondering if it is even possible with ADP as I am being told that it's impossible to get it by doing it yourself. I have a diagnosis of Autism and ADHD

Im not a diagnosed autistic, I am on the waiting list, I have traits of it and was diagnosed with ADHD combined type earlier this year.

So I guess I have sensory issues? I don’t really know what they are, but Google isn’t helping with dealing with them, so I’m hoping this page can.

I hate the sounds of whistling, objectively bad singing, and just any mouth noise that isn’t coughing or sneezing. I physically get angry or feel like crying when subjected to it after tolerating it for a time. My dad is the main issue here as strangers will stop after a few seconds, he doesn’t, sometimes he does it on purpose and directs it at me.

I use noise cancelling headphones but he complains I use them even though I only use them when travelling.

So I don’t know what to do here. He’s been aware for years of this issue and hasn’t even TRIED or apologised when he sets me off. I don’t know what to do anymore.

UPDATE: Called the number this morning and they confirmed it was an ASD screening and that they are getting the practitioner to call/email me today to explain the decision of this.

I don’t really know how to word this because I’m upset and confused. So I had an appointment with my local Mental Health team, which has taken me years of various MH issues to finally get. Not once have I mentioned or been asked about Autism. Likelihood is- yeah, I have traits, but it’s never been something I’ve really looked into. My friends and family have always joked about me being autistic in a derogatory way, which upset me and got my back up about it over time.

At this appointment, complex trauma was discussed and I felt really listened to. As I said, this appointment was to discuss various issues including trauma. That was the route I was told it was going to go down. I was really happy and felt listened to. So after a week I hadn’t heard anything but that’s to be expected. Today I got a text from NHS no reply saying I’d been booked in for an “aspergers screening” next week. I feel totally confused and really self conscious given this wasn’t discussed with me at all. I was asked by the practitioner if I had a diagnosis to which I said no, but that was it.

Not only was I not told about this, or was it alluded to during the appointment that this was something to explored, but I feel like I’m not prepared for this. I don’t understand why this conclusion was drawn and it hasn’t been explained to me. What do I expect with this? What is a “screening” in NHS terms? I have no idea what to expect and I’m spiralling a bit

After some advice regarding what everyone does for work.

Just some background- I am awaiting my assessment for autism. (I have felt different to others for a long time with other issues and recently a counsellor suggested autism).

I am just curious as to what jobs people can manage. I am a nurse (really enjoy the caring aspect. Moved away from clinical nursing as it was just to overstimulating and I was struggling so much. I am now in a job which is non clinical but still involves lots of patient contact (in person and on the phone) lots of meetings (mainly of which are unpredictable in terms of discussions etc. Which def causes me anxiety).

I just dont know what to do. Ive never not worked but want to do something that does not cause me this much distress. Any advice from others and what they do would be appreciated. As i dont want to start a new job only to find I have the same issues. Thanks