Autism the thread

[imanautie]

Has anyone here read 'The Reason I Jump' by Naoki Higashida?
I found it a very interesting read, and could relate to most of the things mentioned in the book.

I haven't but it comes up a lot in the aac groups, even comparing my own experience nowadays being mostly non speaking its still quite a different experience having always been so.

 

[Jonathan]

Does anyone else struggle with impulsiveness sometimes?

Main reason I ask is that yesterday, I suddenly started thinking about getting my ears pierced - yes, both of them. Never went through with it, for the record. To be fair for a bit, I’ve been considering getting an ear piercing for about 20 years on-and-off, but haven’t got around to it - largely because it’d likely be difficult (if not impossible) to get it done and not have my parents whinge. Then again, I’m 30 now, so can make my own decisions, but I do find it challenging to think about doing this kind of stuff while I still live at home.

 

[Jonathan]

So, I've found a piercing studio in Manchester that I'd be more than happy to visit. Got a consultation booked for a few weeks' time, and I'm quite looking forward to it. They've put me at ease with the whole prospect, which is really helpful. Part of the reason I'm going for the consultation is so I'm more used to the place and can meet some of the staff, can have more of an idea of jewellery options (though I've thought about what I may want already), and can ask any questions that might come up. Mildly daunting that this change is going to happen, but I'll be fine. Not planning on actually getting them done for a few more months, but I want to be as prepared as I possibly can. I'm also making sure I get it done properly - no piercing guns at all.

On another note, went down for breakfast this morning, and got my usual cereal out of the cupboard (Weetabix). There were three in the pack, and there's usually an even number (I normally have two). Queried it with Mum, who was eating her breakfast, and she said she sometimes has one. Didn't have a problem with it, but it just threw me off for a few seconds. Ended up only having one so the number left in the packet was evened out, which Mum thought was quite funny.

 

[Connor98]

Wanted to bump this thread as the last year I’ve been questioning and thinking about how I go about things in life and sometimes struggling due to those. After some thought and plenty research it seems a lot of what I’m referring to seems to correlate with what’s considered as on the spectrum, does anybody have any advice/tips on how to go about taking the next steps of discovering more about this and who you’d recommend to talk to. Ive been thinking about it for a while now and I really want to find out more, my mind is not at ease currently due to it all.

 

[BarryZola]

I believe there are tests you can do online which will give you an idea if you might be on the spectrum or not. Then if it comes back suggesting that you might be I suppose the next step would be talking to a doctor to explore further. Others will be able to give more precise advice though, I'm sure.

 

[rob666]

As an adult, it can be comfortable to get a "self label", but once you have decided, what difference will it make in daily life as an adult?
We are all different, none of us are "completely normal", we all do the same things in different ways.
If your "personal difference" made you have extra needs to cope with life, that is usually spotted, and highlighted, in school days.

 

[Jb85]

@Connor98 I would advise doing some online tests.



How old are you of you don't mind me asking, as it does kind of depend on which support route you could take.

 

[Jonathan]

As an adult, it can be comfortable to get a "self label", but once you have decided, what difference will it make in daily life as an adult?
We are all different, none of us are "completely normal", we all do the same things in different ways.
If your "personal difference" made you have extra needs to cope with life, that is usually spotted, and highlighted, in school days.

As I understand it, the logic is so people can understand why they are the way they are, and can thereby work out strategies to improve their lives.

 

[rob666]

We improve our lives with more beer and rollercoasters though, don't we?
Oh, and Eurovision of course.

 

[Jonathan]

We improve our lives with more beer and rollercoasters though, don't we?
Oh, and Eurovision of course.

Ah, yes - it's now Gay Christmas Week.

 

[rob666]

Only a week, come on, Euroscouse love month!

 

[Connor98]

Thank you for your suggestions everyone. I’ve done two separate online tests and both have come back saying I’m very likely on the spectrum so that clears some things up, maybe I’ll talk to my GP about it. I’m 24 @Jb85 so I’m not sure what that means for me regarding next steps. And reading your posts I’m ticking every single box of Coasters, Beer and gay apart from I don’t seem to take much interest in Eurovision

 

[Skyscraper]

Thank you for your suggestions everyone. I’ve done two separate online tests and both have come back saying I’m very likely on the spectrum so that clears some things up, maybe I’ll talk to my GP about it. I’m 24 @Jb85 so I’m not sure what that means for me regarding next steps. And reading your posts I’m ticking every single box of Coasters, Beer and gay apart from I don’t seem to take much interest in Eurovision

Just be aware that even if you do talk to your GP, the waiting lists to get proper tests can be extremely long. I know someone who thinks they might be on the spectrum but is put off from taking it further by the long waiting lists.

 

[Connor98]

Just be aware that even if you do talk to your GP, the waiting lists to get proper tests can be extremely long. I know someone who thinks they might be on the spectrum but is put off from taking it further by the long waiting lists.

After doing some research the waiting it’s list is currently around 140,000. Maybe if I speak to a health professional I’ll make my decision but I don’t want it to dictate my life, I just wanted some understanding on why I am the way I am at times.

 

[BlueRiver]

I recently had a diagnosis (I'm 36) - I was on a wait list for about 2 years, although not sure how much covid impacted that wait time (they originally said they had paused assessments, although in the end I had an online assessment so they might not have paused it for that long).

By the time the assessment came around, I wasn't sure if I wanted to do it anymore, but in the end I found it very useful. Might be worth getting yourself on the wait list, and seeing how you feel about it when you finally get an appointment. It helped me to understand myself, helped me to feel better about advocating for myself at work and feel less bad about social mistakes. All of those things I was doing to some extent without a formal diagnosis, but the validation has helped - and some of the advice I got from the psychologists in an appointment after the assessment has been useful.

 

[Connor98]

Thank you! Echoed my feelings completely. I’ll speak to my health professionals and hopefully go forward with an assessment from there.

 

[Jonathan]

Thank you! Echoed my feelings completely. I’ll speak to my health professionals and hopefully go forward with an assessment from there.

Just a thought, but it may be worth gathering evidence you can take to your GP which suggests that you're autistic. I'd also suggest having a look at the criteria here on the National Autistic Society's website, as they can be a good starting point.

 

[BooMT]

Thank you! Echoed my feelings completely. I’ll speak to my health professionals and hopefully go forward with an assessment from there.

Myself and children have diagnosed Autism & sit on varying parts of the spectrum! Myself and my eldest are categorised as Aspergers and my youngest has more struggles/delays, I practically lived on the diagnostic pathway on & off for years

The greatest advice I can give is to collect as much evidence as possible to aid diagnosis and think about what a diagnosis would mean to you; will it make a difference to your life? Labelling can have a negative impact for some but a completely life changing effect for others! For me, having the validation allowed me to drop the mask far more which improved my mental health! GP is a great place to start although, if you receive any mental health support/education etc, you can also get a referral that way.

Whatever next steps you take, I really hope you find some answers and information that's useful, it's such a powerful thing to have a greater understanding of oneself! Good luck

 

[Jb85]

@Connor98 I only asked yournage as if you were still in school the SENCO representative could help you push for a diagnosis. Best go to your GP. The National Autism society also has a lot of useful data.

 

[Connor98]

Thank you everyone once again, some great advice from all I’ll keep everyone updated if anyhting happens on the journey.