r/autismUK

I’ve just entered my first year of university and im really struggling. It’s only been a couple of weeks but I still haven’t adjusted to moving to a new city away from my family and friends. The school system at uni is also really different from sixth form and the lack of structure is really affecting me.

On top of this I’ve really struggled to find friends who I actually connect with. I’ve tried going to society events but it feels like everyone there has already made a group and aren’t looking for anymore friends. I have a few acquaintances in my course but we don’t really have a lot in common. Whenever I socialise, I feel like people can tell that there’s something wrong with me and some people have been unfriendly which has really affected my confidence.

Is this feeling normal? Does anyone have recommendations I’m not really sure what else to do

Hi all! I was hoping someone could give me some insight here.

I was diagnosed back in 2021, and all I received was a letter in the post stating that they can confirm I am indeed autistic. No details or anything, just a ‘Yep, you are, now good luck!’. I thought that was odd at the time but figured maybe it was normal given my age (I’m now 35).

I’ve recently started a new job where I have to attend Uni alongside, and after speaking to their Wellbeing team about reasonable adjustments & whatnot (for exams and assessments), they’re saying I should have received some sort of report or breakdown from whoever diagnosed me about their findings. They’re (the uni) saying I can’t get any adjustments without this report, even with the albeit very basic letter confirming my diagnosis.

Is it normal to not receive a report? Or any kind of information regarding my diagnosis? I literally just got a letter confirming it and that’s it.

I was diagnosed through the Integrated Autism Service at Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, if that matters.

Any help would be amazing, thank you!

If you’re a high masking female who did you land up going to for your Right to choose assessment?

I’ve been putting this off for years and believe it’s time I just face the reality of it all and get the assessment done. Obviously women present differently and masking is something I’m really conscious of. I’m hoping to find a provider who can see through the masking.

So far I have Problem shared as a potential option.

Any advice is welcome.

Thank you!

Hi, I’m not autistic (at least never been diagnosed). I’m looking to start the process to get an assessment but right now I’m looking for a weighted blanket. I have one but it’s just not that big and is quite light because I got it a good few years ago. I’ve found that it does help when I’m overwhelmed and just need to settle in bed and think of nothing. I’m looking for a bigger and heavier one. I’m based in the UK. Does anyone know where I can find a good one and is there a weight limit to a weighted blanket? Like is there an unsafe weight it can be and how do I know what a safe weight would be? Thank you.

Hi, I was diagnosed in June of this year. I am 25. This has been long awaited for me as I have struggled significantly since childhood. When I had the assessment, the lady who diagnosed me told me that in the UK there is no “high functioning” or “low functioning” and that autism is just autism. Since then I have found that people will say “I was diagnosed with Level 1” or “I am a level 2 autistic person”. What does this mean and does anyone know why I was not given a level?

I have Kallmann syndrome, which is a rare hormone condition that affects puberty and fertility. It means I have to be on life long hormone replacement therapy.

I had a late diagnosis and treatment which meant I did not have what I would regard as normal teenage years and adolescence.

I have never been formally tested form any form of autisim but others with my condition have. I certainly have developed personality traits over the years, especially linked to social situations. I have never been sure whether this has been linked to hormone levels and not feeling like a "normal" adult or if there was something else going on.

As an example this week at work we had a social gathering one lunch time at work to celebrate somebody's birthday.

I just could not bring myself to attend, to be able to sit around colleagues and have casual conversations or small talk

Everybody is friendly, I just physically could not feel comfortable being in a social group and being relaxed. I needed to go and eat lunch on my own. I have been like this for a while, needing to socially recharge at times.

The more I read about autism spectrum disorder the more I think I fit into it, even though I have never been formally tested.

There may be a link to Kallmann syndrome, my poor hearing certainly does not help my social awareness. It can not solely been down to having KS. I know KS friends who are very friendly and social. I certainly can not blame my behaviour on having KS but the late diagnosis and treatment probably did not help.

>Autistic individuals have a higher rate of social anxiety than the general public. For many, the anxiety is not an irrational fear. As discussed by users on Reddit, there is a consensus that autistic anxiety is often a logical response to real-world obstacles like sensory burnout, past social rejections, and the daily fatigue of navigating a neurotypical world.

Hey. I’ve posted previously on here in the past about my previous work place and how I was struggling with it, the management and the hours.

I have since been offered a place on an apprenticeship at a nursery. It’s 25 hours a week not full time, five hours a day Monday to Friday a set schedule for me and weekends off obviously.

Honestly I’ve had an ambition to work with children specifically taking a path towards SENCO. I’m excited to start tomorrow but I’m honestly so nervous and I’m here questioning if I’m making the right choice leaving my old job for what I hope will be the next chapter in my life. I’ve heard stories about the Early Years sector about toxicity and it’s scaring me a little bit.

I know that any place is never going to be toxic free. I’m anxious about starting my new job like anyone would be, and I’m worried my autism and ADHD won’t be able to handle it. Is there anyone here who’s also in the education sector? What’s it like for you?

So I love yazoo vanilla milkshakes and I bought some the other day but they taste like damn baby milk powder not vanilla and it's really pissing me off.

They must have changed something but it doesn't say they have on the bottle.

The strawberry and banana taste the same as always but they aren't my fave ones.

Hello. This is my first post here. I am a 24 year old who was diagnosed this year and I was not expecting it.. to have Autism. But it felt right to get tested. However I was expecting to be told I just have anxiety.

I have had a lot of social issues at my job , and I also often feel very exposed and anxious in public. It was suggested to me to get a Sunflower lanyard, so I did.

It has the card that says my name and what I need on it. I have had a few good experiences of it. Once at my doctor's surgery they recognised it , and made sure I was comfortable.

However , to be honest , I do feel a bit exposed wearing it. I know social media is a bad influence overall. But I have seen a lot of people use derogatory terms for these lanyards. It makes me feel a bit embarrassed and scared to wear mine. I have also seen apparently a lot of people wear them for ulterior motives that part I dont really understand. Someone at work, suggested i should get a jigsaw lanyard. To signal more clearly I have autism. I'm not really sure what's best. Someone at work also called my sunflower lanyard an autism lanyard.

so i thought that i was making great progress on the waiting list for my assessment since when i got referred it stated 16-24 weeks on average! i'm on week 28 at the moment so i decided to go look on their website to see if they'd updated the times just so i knew where i stood (they explicitly have told people to NOT email them to ask).

clicked on my ICB and saw 78 weeks quoted. and tbh i just had a breakdown. i was crying, hyperventilating and just feeling so hopeless. i know people have waited years for an assessment but i was just going off the time i'd been told by them. i just feel really crushed because i'm struggling a lot with trying to navigate life with my (heavily suspected by medical professionals) autistic traits alongside lots of other things - my ADHD, ongoing health issues, newly diagnosed HSD.

how do people cope when waiting? the not knowing is so hard for me. i know getting a diagnosis won't suddenly make my life easier but understanding myself more will help surely - regardless if i'm diagnosed from the assessment as autistic or not.

everyday i find myself just lost in life and with no support on how to manage. i'm just frustrated and finding everything really hard so having this knockback too was just too much for me.

I swear it remember standing in my cot and realising that im wondering what is outside and it was absolutely terrifying and I feel like I get that same fear alot in my life like what the hell? I am a person that exists i feel like its actually terrifying that we all exist and no one else seems to question it in their lives?

Hi. I was diagnosed with autism as a teenager in 2020. I’m now an adult and have been trying to find work for two years. With A LOT of accommodations I managed to get a STEM degree but haven’t been able to find any work and even get rejected from unpaid volunteering positions. I’ve never made it past the first stage before.

I’ve been through multiple work coaches at universal credit both regular and disability. When I signed on the first thing they did was refer me to a work capability assessment and I got LCW. I speak to them on the phone for a few minutes once a month. Every disability coach I’ve had has ghosted me after 1 session and I’ve given up with that team. The job centre told me they couldn’t help me and referred me to one local charity which is the only charity in the area that helps autistic people find work.

My year with the charity is over and I’ve still not found work. I can refer myself again and I will but I want to be more successful this time.

For reference I am living in London, 24F, cannot drive and can’t really travel independently (though I can learn a basic journey with lots of practise), very frequently lose the ability to speak and sometimes even write so I often use communication cards and small gestures, have very low processing speed and working memory, live at home, have a care act and social worker and attend part time a day service for disabled adults. I don’t receive any supports other than my day service. I have enhanced daily living and standard mobility for PIP due to my symptoms.

What job fields or types should I focus on applying for? How do I make myself more employable? I don’t want to keep being discarded by the job market so I need to be more efficient.

So I struggle to put it into words but I like to visualise like the start of the universe to my best understanding and I try to like map out the evolution of the universe but sped up to my best abilities like the simulations when you fast forward and I feel like I get to a point where I get thrown into myself and I wonder if anyone has similar experiences.

Did anyone have to wait for the outcome of their assessment? I recently had mine and she said I displayed autistic and ADHD traits, she said she couldn’t give me an answer right now because they need to look through the assessment report.

I’m worried I haven’t scored enough, I do think I’m autistic but I’m wondering if I do have ADHD and it masks a lot of the autism symptoms.
Im worried now that they may think it’s just ADHD even though I’m really sensory.

Anyone shed light on what they will do whilst they go back and rethink the assessment?
I know I won’t be able to get assessed again so this is nerve wracking!

My daughter is 5 and just finished her first term at school. She did one year of kindergarten before starting school.
During that year of kindy we really started noticing things. Sound, light and clothing sensitivity are the main issues but as time went on and we did more research we realised there are many more things.
Not understanding sarcasm, very very ridged, stuck to her routines, struggles to regulate herself, sensory seeking, perfectionist, very anxious, won’t initiate friendships, very clingy, very strong right and wrong ethics. Her nephew said to me, she is a different child at home than when she is outside her comfort zone (not a massive flag, I realise that)

We started some private funding OT and that helped but we felt she needed regular sessions and it was getting expensive so decided to bite the bullet and get a diagnosis. At the time she had been in kindy for 10ish months so the kindy educators did a questionaire for the assesment. It came back as she partially met most criteria’s so she was not given a diagnosis.
I remember her first transition day at her school and the teacher spoke to her and us about perfectionism, yet kindy’s questionaire and their attitude was, ‘she is a perfect child, nothing to worry about.’ Only thing they noticed is she didn’t like doing activities that might make her wet or messy, and she struggled with drop offs.

After the phone call with the assesment specialists, I was told to speak to her school and ask them to document any things they notice and come back and they will do a shorter assesment to determine if she fully meets the criteria. They agreed she has autistic traits but don’t want to give her a life long diagnosis especially with her being so young. The psychologist agreed that she masked a lot in her session and the assessor didn’t realise how fatigued she was until it was too late, and by that stage my daughter was done. Another thing she noticed was the lack of reciprocal questioning.

I just struggle becuase I can see how much life is effecting her, and think if we had a diagnosis and got funding she could be getting help. We see it all at home and just don’t understand how these assessor’s couldn’t see it.

Thing I don’t understand is, if children with autism and especially girls mask a lot, how can they get a diagnosis. On top of that, if a lot of ‘issues’ come out at home, how can they get a diagnosis if the assesment requires a school/or other type of care questionaire?

Edit: as parents we had quite a few questionnaires to fill in too and had to answer questions for a couple of hours during the assesment, it just seemed they focused on what kindy said over what we said happened at home.

My daughter is just being diagnosed with autism now at the start of yr 11. She is also experience EBSA and has extremely high anxiety and they (where she is having assessment) have said sensory overload. She has her heart set on college and studying psychology. I am doing what I can to help whilst being new to knowing anything about how neurodivergent brains learn and also working full time whilst trying to care for her (thankfully I work from home but it does mean we only have evenings to work in).

Would anyone direct me to some good neurodivergent friendly resources for her particularly science (double AQA), English (Macbeth and an inspector calls - Edexel) and History (Edexel). I am aware of the Oaka GCSE science bundle and trying to find a second hand set, unless anyone has any other recommendations.

Thanks so much from an exhausted mum.