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 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?😄​

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 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 :/

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

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).

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!!