u/Commercial_Cattle76

I was diagnosed when I was 18 and I’m 29 now and the more I age and grow the more I learn about how my Autism affects me and how much I asked for years. As an adult now I realize my Autism disabled me more than I thought. And I’m having a hard time processing something currently.

Throughout my life I have always known I was different from others around me even before the diagnosis. I have always struggled more than others and when I got my Autism diagnosis it explained so much of my experience. But I was diagnosed right after finishing high school and my diagnosis helped me to get accommodations in college, but I’m out of college and idk what kind of supports I would really need but I know I need a lot of help with certain things. I’m trying to look into services for autistic adults and I’m having a very hard time with everything.

I can work full time but I experience so much burn out, anxiety and depression amongst other tings. I live with my mom and she helps me with a lot more then I realize; she helps talk me through my anxieties and meltdowns, she reminds me to eat and to engage in self care tasks, she helps me with transportation and financial stuff and life administration tasks such as paper work etc. and I just worry that one day when she’s gone I won’t have the same supports I do now and I’ll basically have to reach crisis for anyone to take me seriously before I can get help. I want to look into services that offer a support worker but I worry my disability isn’t “severe” enough to be taken seriously. But I deal with meltdowns, sensory overload, self harm and have a hard time making decisions and need help with a lot of things.

I just worry that I’m wasting my time pursuing any help if I’m so “high functioning” in the eyes of society. I’m high functioning yet I continue to get treated differently by people I know and don’t know because I get clocked so quickly. I worry though for one day, ya kno. At one time I had both my parents support but my dad passed aeay a few years ago and he did a lot to support me. I just worry for the day in the future when my mom is gone and I don’t have any of the support and stability I have now. I’m really only able to be so “high functioning” because of my parents support.

Is there anyone here considered “high functioning” (I really do hate functioning labels) who has some type of disability support? What kind of support do you receive if any?

Does anyone know that this face item this is?

I worry for my future a lot of the time