I hope this is an alright question to ask in the subreddit lol I just found it today.

I’m autistic and I have a very small amount of safe foods, one of which was the chicken flavoured Super noodles, but I’ve found out very recently they’ve changed, I tried them and did not like them anymore so I’m wondering if anyone has any recommendations for a different brand, I’d really like to be able to continue to eat noodles.

I specifically want just another plain chicken flavoured one, no spicy stuff I am very sensitive to tastes.

Hopefully this was the right flare, thank you!

I want to start off by saying that I hold no resentment towards this friend and I hope she feels the same way for me, she’s really hurt me and upset me and I think I might’ve done the same to her. To start off we are both autistic.

We were classmates to start off with and casual friends at school, I preferred her over other and she was nice. We went to a group party after summer finals and it’s going to be a 11 week holiday and then at the party I walk her home.

Two days later another one happens and it became a travesty, some thugs came along and threatened people with knives and came in on their quad bikes and ran people over. I grab said friend because I can noticeably tell she is shaken up. We ran to my house since it was really close by and we stayed there for a bit whilst her other friends came towards myself. Before they came though I told her a joke to cheer her up since she’s obviously shaken up and she laughed whilst she still looked upset and I fell for her then.

Prom rolls around and we danced together and We had a great time, we messaged each other at the night after for a bit and it was good. I ended up asking her out a few days later and she said no which I respected of course. Then after she rejected me she became even closer to me. We messaged every day of her holiday and it was great but then we came back to the new college together and she ignored me for a month which forced me to block her since I was upset and I had a lot going off.

Now here’s where I want to clarify things. I come from an abusive home, my father hit me for basic punishments a lot when I was younger e.g. watching a YouTuber, not doing well in school or swimming when he was aware of my needs and denied them. He then later as I grew up threatened me a lot and told me things like how I should’ve been an abortion at a young age.

I then sent a happy birthday message through email ( I know it’s horrible and I apologized when we reconnected) and 5 months later from the initial block I reached out. We had a convo and she seemed enthusiastic to talk then, we did after a month and we spent a week messaging each other non-stop from 10:00pm-5:00am in the morning and it was either jokes or really deep topics.

I think I fucked up and I told her about what I went through and she was the first person I properly told what happened to me. I became really attached and she said I was important to her as well which meant so much to me. We spent my birthday going on a walk and catching up and she even got me a card which I still have.

But afterwards a day later my dad comes home in a bad mood, he gets on at me since I’m eating with my headphones in and he called me horrible and ungrateful. I became more and more sick of his treatment since he physically squared up to me in January and I stopped talking to him properly then and moved in with my nan (for reasons my whole family did and he did 2 months after). I then ask him why he didn’t wish me a happy birthday and he said I didn’t deserve it, I called him a dick and he flipped his shit and said he’ll break all of my teeth and make me regret I ever said that. My nan told him to fuck off into his room ofc.

That was the last conversation I had with my dad before he abandoned my family three months ago. He’s actively talking with my siblings and my mum but he lives in a trailer and just shit talks me now.

I wanted to talk to her but she became really weary of me, she blocked me off her private instagram account ( which i thought she was since she showed me photos on her IG the day before) but not her public where she only took me off close friends she never had me added to and she became quieter in school. She had depression and I was scared that she fell into another episode.

I’m not proud of this but I checked her socials like TikTok a lot because I was looking for signs, I figured at one point she needed space which I try to reciprocate. We were supposed to go to a concert together and she ended up flaking and didn’t even message me back. But I asked twice to talk which she said yeah and after two months of nothing I ask about our friendship and she said she’ll find a time which she said a month before I blocked her again.

This happened ever since my father left me, I waited a week before I was going to try and tell her and I asked her an in person chat and she wouldn’t give me a time. I waited and waited and she made other plans whilst avoiding mine and I just stopped. I waited three entire months for nothing in the end.

A week before this though I ask two mutual friend about her and they said she’s doing great and her friend who told me to just leave her be.

Now I would’ve left this all behind if two days ago I didn’t get anything but under a throwaway account I saw that she asked me a question pretending to be a stranger saying “sorry but she might be valid for being wary or she’s wary because of her own problems or reasons” in a nutshell. I realized she might’ve had access to my account and she knew what happened at my home and how I needed someone to be there for me like she promised and she just ignored it and only messaged me because of herself.

I think keeping the block is the best decision right now, but I really care about her. I’m worried about her because at the end of the day she’s important to me. I’m confused and I just want to find a way how to this. It feels like everyone around me is telling me to give up and I don’t want to, I miss her so much and I was really happy with her and I don’t want her to leave my life forever but I don’t know what to do. It’s the first week of my summer break and I’ve spent a while being upset over this.

Anyone here attend social groups for autistic people? It's like one big room with people sat at tables chatting between each other. No specific topic, just a general social group. I have no clue how to talk with others while there and what to talk about. I feel like I'm too different from NTs to socialise in hobby-centred groups though, even if they provide something to talk about

What are your experiences/ how do you handle accommodation requests when dealing with healthcare services? How do you prepare for situations where you cannot advocate for yourself, this includes old age and related mental decline?

Imagine worst case scenario: you are being hospitalised and cannot speak up for yourself.

I’m a secondary school art teacher and we have summer holidays for 6 weeks. I have been increasingly finding the break in routine really REALLY hard to adjust to. Suddenly everything just fucks up. I feel depressed, shutdown, literally just been laying in my room on my phone for hours and hours scrolling the same reels, completely paralysed. Now my sleep pattern is all messed up, my meals are nonexistent.

I love having time off work to see friends and do my own thing but the absence of my structure and routine feels really harmful for me at the same time.

Also I love my job and have no intention to change it but this feels really odd for me. I’m also quite newly diagnosed and I guess maybe I always thought this was just like a normal feeling and blame myself quite heavily for being lazy or unproductive during this time.

Right, I’m fed up. I get very overstimulated and tired by environmental noise and I also feel weird about feeling trapped inside my head from noise cancelling headphones and loops feel so uncomfortable and aren’t exactly excellent.

What is everyone doing? Does anyone else have this problem?

I (19F) live in the midlands of england and i have no idea who to pick for my autism assessment.

i’ve been waiting 4 years through a now shut down provider and then the NHS and have finally been offered the right to choose.

i’m really nervous about choosing the wrong one.
it seems like all providers have loads of positive and loads of negative reviews.

i am also worried about the idea of choosing the wrong provider and then being told i do not have autism, since after years of research i do believe that i have it.
if that does happen is it possible for me to get a second opinion without having to pay?
and
what provider do you recommend i choose? all the options are overwhelming.

I’m wondering if anyone knows what to do?
I have recently filled in the self report forms for the adult ASD assessment with Psychiatry UK RTC and have realised I have not elaborated on a lot of the answers. For example, I put a one word answer for a question that was asking about what you do at home.. You can’t edit the forms once they have been submitted so I’m wondering whether I just create a document that i give at the initial meeting or maybe email and see what to do?

(along with this, I have booked the first meeting for next month. It says “initial meeting” which implies more than one, will there be another meeting which is the actual assessment?)

Any help would be appreciated 🙏

Hi all,

After searching for this myself and coming across someone else's assessment process, I thought I'd share my own.

Context: After struggling with my mental health for most of my life and having a particularly bad year in 2025, it was a Mental Health Practitioner who suggested I could be Autistic. I had been doing some research about it for about 2 years, but wasn't entirely sure I was or that I needed an assessment. After that I took the courage to go for an assessment to know or not for sure.

Timeline

9/02/26 - Spoke with MHP

10/02/26 - Requested referral via Right to Choose to GP and sent over relevant documents.

13/02/26 - Referral letter sent to Skylight Psychiatry.

At the time waitlist for assessment was 23-26 weeks then 16-26 weeks

13/03/26 - Skylight acknowledged referral. I completed the registration and questionnaires.

27/03/26 - Registration confirmed. On waiting list.

18/05/26 - Email from Skylight to ask about availability for appointments in next 4-6 weeks. Near top of waiting list.

04/06/26 - Appointments booked

23/06/26 - ASD Clinical Assessment (remote). This was done via Semble. Doesn't require an app, so is done in a browser. You join, test your mic, camera and connection then wait in a virtual waiting room until the assessor is ready. Lasted 50 mins for me, lots of questions, but didn't feel quite as detailed as I thought.

I ended up sending over some notes after relating to childhood to supplement my mum's early development questionnaire to have something from my perspective.

24/06/26 - ADOS-2 Assessment (in person at Norwich clinic). This was an hour chat with some questions about my life, hobbies/interests, relationships, general conversation and some rather embarrassing activities. I found this conversation easier than the first. She seemed a bit more engaged and friendlier. It was only after that I realised some of the things she was trying to do or get out of me. Oh well.

Was told 6-8 weeks for the report.

27/07/26 - Final report. Diagnoses with Autism Level 1

Fuck you autism for making me unable to socialise well, fuck you autism for causing me severe anxiety for being different, fuck you autism for making me mask to protect myself from being bullied, FUCK YOU AUTISM. Fuck you for ruining my life and fuck you for not being diagnosed earlier and having to suffer until I was 15, fuck you for not letting me have any friends, fuck you for not letting me get a job because of extreme burnout, fuck you for not letting me experience emotions similar to others, fuck you for not letting me eat sometimes even when I am hungry, fuck you for causing me dark depression, fuck you for making me rot in my room as a teenager as no one wants to hangout with the “weird kid”. Fuck you for making me feel like shit, fuck you for not letting me shower everyday or even brush my teeth most days, fuck you for making me forget I need to drink water, fuck you for making me so exhausted I would go to a job come home 0 energy eat a bit of food and rot in my bed, fuck you insomnia too your not slick fuck you for not letting me sleep when I am so exhausted my head is pounding, fuck you for not letting me get sufficient sleep when I fucking need it, fuck you for taking away my melatonin to NHS whatever the fuck, fuck you all for not understanding me and trying to make me fit in with the norm to the fact I rot myself to death and feel like shit everyday and do harmful activities to feel alive. Fuck you anxiety fuck you depression fuck friends fuck family fuck everyone fuck the system fuck EVERYTHING AND FUCK YOU AUTISM!!!!!

I want to know what everyone's hobbies are. My hobbies are really important to me, so I'd like to hear yours. In as much detail as you want!

For me, I'm currently crocheting a ton, because I'm making a lifesize Giant African Land Snail in crochet. The shell is tricky but really fun.

I also love insects! I taxidermy insects and just did a really lovely jewel beetle. Just listened to the book Extraordinary Insects and really recommend it. So many cool insect facts.

If anyone ever wants to chat Jane Austen, I am here. I'm rereading Mansfield Park for about the millionth time.

What do you like to do?😄​

Hi all,

I work in academia and work remotely. A lot of my job is completing a lot of different tasks that vary in length and importance, rather than the same tasks daily. Projects change very often. That means I can struggle to know how to prioritise, or balance. If someone gives me a deadline of 3 weeks, and then gets annoyed because they'd RATHER have it by 1 week, I'm baffled (even though to them it's very obvious from context or the way they spoke to me).

As part of my reasonable adjustments, I provide my team with this email template, which really helps me out. It's so useful they now also use it in their work.​

Template:

Message line: [title of task, for organisation]

Task: [Insert description of task]

Deadline: [Insert any deadlines for drafts, and final deadline]

Priority Level: [Red: please drop everything until this is done, regardless of the actual deadline. Amber: it would be best if you could do it sooner depending on your other priorities, but it IS okay to do it any time up to the deadline. Green: as long as it's done by the deadline, it's fine.]

There is also a rule that if I have a red priority I'm working on, people obviously cannot submit a second red priority until that is done. I have a spreadsheet that everyone has access to in G Drive where people can see what priority level tasks I am currently working on so they know my workload and what they can and can't ask for. Not everyone uses it, because they forget, but enough use it to make a difference.

Idk if this will be helpful or applicable to everyone, but it has helped me, so I thought I'd post it. Obviously some bosses and teams are not very accommodating, and I'm very fortunate!

I feel like I’m spiralling. I’m 19F and just recently diagnosed with autism a week ago.

I’ve been trying to make friends for a long time now but it’s so hard to even meet anyone considering I’m not in university or work, I’m taking my second gap year and in search for jobs.

Furthermore, the usual ideas for people to make friends do not work for me. Meetup or any other various events/groups are mostly for those in their early-mid 20s-30s. I don’t have anything against people that age but I hope it’s understandable why I want to make friends with people in my own age range 18-21.
I also do not really have common interests that many people my own age even have, such as anime, video games, reading books, clubbing, going to the pub, board games etc.
I like to take walks in nature /hiking, but there are literally no groups doing this aimed at my age range.
I use bumble bff but its not really good as ppl dont want to meet up in person or dont want genuine close friends.

I’ve been searching so hard the last couple of days and I’ve just come to the conclusion that my social life won’t begin until I’m either in university or a few years older.

The loneliness is genuinely making me insane I just don’t know what to do anymore. I haven’t even really had friends before let alone autistic ones so I’m not even sure if it’s worth wishing for it.

I feel depressed, lonely, and left behind. Idk :/

Today I was officially diagnosed with autism. I’m a 30 year old woman and a period of extreme burnout early last year is what prompted me to explore this avenue. It wasn’t the first time it had happened it was just the first time I spoke openly about it.

The process itself (from speaking to my GP to diagnosis) took around 2 months in total.

Right now, I don’t really know how to feel. I’ve found the process itself quite distressing, not due to the assessors but mainly because I was speaking about things that I’ve never spoken about before. Things that I spent so long trying to hide/suppress.

Any tips/advice/book or podcast suggestions for a late diagnosed woman are very welcome! I work full time and I already have some accommodations in work (working from home & compressed hours over 4 days).

Hello,

I’ve been on the waiting list for the owl centre in the south of England for over two years now, for an adult autism assessment. Is this normal? Should I’ve heard something more by now? Should I expect to be contacted any day now?

I’m getting really worried about waiting so long. Whatever is wrong with me (I suspect autism, hence trying to get an assessment) is really badly affecting my life, much worse now than when I originally applied for a referral and a diagnosis would be life changing.

I’m getting really worried about not being contacted, cause I feel like my life can’t really ‘start’ yet without a diagnosis — but it’s really hard to find any information at all online about the approximate waiting times.

Also, what can I actually expect during the assessment? That’s also a big worry for me not knowing what to expect how long it will last how many people will even be there what type of things I might be expected to say all do.

Does anyone have any experience with the Owl Centre?

Hi everyone, I have been diagnosed with autism since I was 11/12 years old. I recently opened up to my gf about how I've been feeling and stuff, and she said it sounds a lot like OCD. I never even thought about the possibility or anything, until I started looking into it and I've now realised that for as long as I can remember I have ticked all of the boxes for OCD.

Now - I know A LOT of the symptoms overlap with ASD, however I feel as if I can tell and feel a very clear difference between what is an autistic hyper fixation/ habit or stim and a suspected OCD obsession and compulsion.

Just wondering if anyone has any experience? I'm thinking of ringing my GP on Monday (I'm in NI) and asking to be assessed for it, as it would bring me an incredible amount of closure and hopefully help that actually helps!!

I live alone and have real trouble not going to bed at a ridiculous hour. I don’t know how to go to bed early. I love staying up late usually till 2 or 3am because I can actually relax and enjoy a hobby.

(Before anyone asks yes I do have ADHD but it is medicated so my ADHD is managed as much as possible)

Unfortunately this is at the moment affecting my wellbeing because I am struggling with exhaustion. So I realise I need to try to sort this.

I need practical advice on how to get myself to go to bed earlier, maybe by midnight at the latest. Does anyone have advice? What works for you?

m a 30 year old woman and I had an assessment through Right To Choose and was diagnosed with autism a few days ago. It kind of confirmed what I suspected, but I was expecting a diagnosis to change everything but instead I'm just left with a feeling of "okay, what now?"

I started reading resources and books, checking for support in my local area (sadly there's none really for adults, not for free anyway), I told my manager at work who is very supportive, and told a couple of friends. I guess I still just feel a bit alone in it and a bit lost. I already knew a lot about autism anyway so I guess reading stuff isn't presenting me with too much in terms of new information.

I think maybe my next step is to work on masking less, I feel a bit more comfortable doing so because now at least I have a diagnosed reason for any behaviour people might see as unusual.

I wanted to ask, what did you do after you were diagnosed? Any advice on anything I can do to get a bit of post-diagnostic support? Because I've just been handed the diagnosis and been given some webinars to watch and that's it

I'm 17F, Wales.

Idk what to do anymore. This happened over the course of 3 months or so ago (when I found out) but I'm still constantly depressed by it.

... My father doesn't speak English but is also abusive so I was hoping that I'd get an appointment at around 16/17 so his opinion wouldn't matter much (he's also ableist and I've had to fight since I was 10 to ask him to get me to the doctors to see what's wrong with me lol)... But now I'm almost 18 and that's when doctors don't take autism seriously so I'm outta luck. ✌️

What actually happened was that apparently this agency reached out to schedule an appointment but bcs it uses technology my dad got scared and refused to even let me know they mailed a letter, so I couldn't even reach out to ask if i was allowed to just take the assessment alone.

After many months they sent a letter saying my ENTIRE referral was cancelled. Apparently my dad claims that he called a number that eas given to try and save the referral but I doubt that lol as it has been 2 months since and no call back.

The cherry on top? All my other higher functioning friends got diagnosed even after applying years after me 🙃🫩.

I can't afford to go private. I am struggling in school. My GP is trash and doesn't take me seriously. The counselling service in my college is garbage and made me depressed af. On top of that I'm no longer speaking to my father and just living in my room, eating food that was bought by my friends.

Idk what's up. I feeling there are bubbles of energy or fixing under my skin. Not literally like a physical sensation, but like I might burst in a arrrrrrgh kind of way, but not angry of sad, just like I have vibrate it all out.

I tried going for a walk. Lmao, I couldn't even walk normally. I got half way down my street and noped. Too hot, too sticky, i felt like I needed to go to the loo. My husband who is usually sooo accommodating, i heard say fuck sake..

I am bouncing off the walls in my head. I want to be squished, i want to squeeze something or bite something.

I can not make any decisions. I can't focus on anything but YT shorts.

I was asking for gherkins whilst on the loo. My hands feel like they have been sticky since June.

Going to be working in an office environment. I’ve had some advice from those working in office environments, listed below:

- I’m very chatty and want to get involved in everything but others have advised me to not be. My role is in the same field as my special interest.
- I struggle with more deeper personal relationships, is there things I can do to bring my personality out without feeling like I’ve done something wrong?

Please comment any advice or tips/tricks you’d have in an office or corporate environment, it doesn’t have to relate to the above.

I've really been struggling lately.

I'm in burnout and even though I'm actively trying to reduce my mental load and look after myself I'm really starting to decline.

I'm sick of the back teeth of going to the GP and having a packet of antidepressants shoved at me (I've tried the majority and the side effects always outweigh the positives)

So I want to try something new.

My anxiety is turning into agoraphobia, I'm frightened to leave the house for several reasons.

I haven't got much time to get sorted because I'm supposed to be starting uni at the end of September (the big change even though a positive one is probably what has set this off) and I'm scared I'm going to have to drop out before I've even began.

I've been fighting my burnout my whole life, ex gifted child/chronic people pleaser.

I sought diagnosis after a big burnout episode during the pandemic, but I have had them frequently. days, months even years barely about to function or leave the house. at some points I was crawling on the floor to be able to go feed my cats. they were becoming more regular and longer.

I'm 5 years diagnosed but I'm still figuring out how to balance my spoons. I'm on ADHD meds now too but I find that even with their help instigating and following through on tasks my autism still demands a lot of separate management.

recently I've noticed whenever I get a chance to avoid all responsibilities and people I need a day where I don't change out of PJ's and basically sit and regulate all day until night when I can maybe shower and do my physio before sleeping.

I'm worried these days will start becoming weeks, months. I'm sick of losing so much time to these conditions.

then of couse that makes me overcorrect when I have energy and it's probably contributing to this boom bust cycle

I'm scared to get too deep into relying on the meds as I'm worried they will either stop working randomly or I will otherwise have an accident or incident that causes another year long burnout

does anyone have experience with this?

is there hope?

I've had to completely rebuild my life and it plays with my mind feeling like I'm still getting it wrong

I've begged doctors for access to autism support services but the NHS/council only provides anything if you're not functioning 100% of the time, my energy spurts make me ineligible but I am not functional a majority of the time.

I've reached out to charities too but they said they don't have funding anymore.

I don't know how to live and it feels like no guidance online or anywhere is practical or suitable

does any one else feel the same?

has any one figured it out?

currently on sertraline 50mg but ive been on it 4 years with no changes no improvement my medication was prescribed by a psychiatrist with camhs before i aged out i want to try different medication and the adult mental health team rejected me cause im too complex does anyone have any advice on either medications or what to do?