this post was submitted on 13 Jun 2023

9 points (100.0% liked)

Autism UK

189 readers

1 users here now

A general chat and support community for autistic people in the UK.

Community Rules

Think before you post. Is your post relevant to the community?

Is your post autism-related? Is your post UK-related? If 'yes' to both, please post. If 'no' to either or both, or if you're not sure, please ask.

Think before you comment.

Please be kind to each other. Please treat everyone with respect. Please be gracious when communications get mixed up.

'When' because we are each unique, and while there may be some overlap between some of us in our communication styles, there will also be differences.

Discrimination will not be tolerated.

This includes (but is not limited to) ableism, racism and colourism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ageism, classism, elitism, religious affiliation, weight stigma / body shaming, and diagnosis status (self-diagnosis is valid). Please think before you post and comment, and be kind to each other.

No promotions, advertisements, fundraisers, or surveys without permission.

Make it clear if a post or comment is NSFW (Not Safe For Work).

Use NSFW in the subject line or at the start of a comment as a warning to the community.

Make it clear if a post or comment is potentially triggering.

Use TW in the subject line or at the start of a comment as a warning to the community. TW = Trigger Warning.

Do not promote Autism Speaks.

Community guidelines:

Accessibility

If your post includes a photo, please add alt text to the photo, or include an image description. If your post includes a screenshot with text, please transcribe the text in your post. If your post or comment includes an acronym or abbreviation, please use the full-length version of it in its first instance. For example:

"Your local IAS (Integrated Autism Service) may be able to help with that. There's a link to IAS is in the sidebar."

"I had to go through my local CMHT (Community Mental Health Team). The CMHT then did a referral."

Exceptions: NSFW (Not Safe For Work) and TW (Trigger Warning) - these are common acronyms across Lemmy; NHS (National Health Service)

Respect

Please respect others' privacy. Please do not reshare anything from this community, without the original poster's permission. Please do not post screenshots of private messages, or screenshots of posts from private communities to this community without the original poster's permission. Please do not send private messages without consent. It is okay to comment, "Can I send you a message?" or "Please feel free to message me about this."

Trigger Warnings

Trigger warnings help to add a level of consent to posts and comments. By adding a trigger warning, you indicate that the content beyond it may not be safe or suitable for everyone. You must add TW as a trigger warning for potentially triggering content.

You can also make it easier for readers to choose whether to keep reading by adding the type of trigger to your warning. Adding the type of trigger is optional. You can read more about types of triggers in this article from Medium.

Related (and potentially relevant) Communities:

!autism@lemmy.world

!autism@lemmy.ml

~~!neurodivergence@beehaw.org ~~ (Beehaw is currently defederated. This means you will need a separate account on Beehaw if you wish to take part in this community.)

!adhd@lemmy.world

!adhdmemes@lemmy.ml

Useful websites:

UK - National Autistic Society

Wales - Gwasanaeth Awtistiaeth Integredig/ Integrated Autism Service

Have I missed something important or useful in this sidebar? Please feel free to send me a message about it!

founded 1 year ago

MODERATORS

El_

Welcome and Introductions (self.autism_uk)

submitted 1 year ago by El_ to c/autism_uk

4 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Hi there!

I have set up this community for those seeking an alternative to Reddit.

I am not affiliated with any autism organisations or charities, however I was a member of the Autism UK subreddit and, although I was more of a lurker than a poster, I found the community helpful. I hope this community will become as useful in due course. (If the mods from the subreddit are reading these, please feel free to PM me. This is my first off-Facebook community, and I'd appreciate your help, if you can spare it.)

I've not set up rules or guidelines yet. I will do so in due course. For now, however, I ask that you all please:

try to be mindful of the impact that words can have
ask if you're not sure about something
avoid using gendered language
try to be compassionate towards one another

Please note that:

discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated
self diagnosis is valid

Lastly, for all of us, please feel free to introduce yourself here, if you wish.

I'm El. I was diagnosed as autistic in my early 40s. I also have diagnoses of ADHD, depression, anxiety, and fatigue. I live in South Wales in the UK. I was working from home as a social media manager, but am currently signed off. I have many and varied special interests (yay ADHD!), but have been consistently obsessed with the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett (GNU pTerry), yarn crafts, writing, and drawing.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] sumfinels@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 year ago

Hi, this is my first lemmy post too. It's sadly quite quiet here right now.

I'm not actually diagnosed, but I have an "initial assessment" this coming Tuesday after being referred by a psychiatrist last year. I'm really quite nervous as I don't know what to expect and I don't want to be dismissed.

I suspected I may be on the spectrum after reading about it in my late 20s, and asked my GP about it, but all it amounted to was speaking to a Nurse who had an young son with autism; "yeah you show some signs but we have no support for adults."

Long story short, I'm in early 40s now and the social repercussions of pandemic were not kind. Medication has taken the edge off the worst of it, but I'm hoping a diagnosis might open some doors for support I desperately need, since I completely fail at some really basic stuff like dealing with neighbours and workplace relationships.

Also a big fan of Terry Pratchett, have fond memories of The Nome Trilogy in my childhood, and read everything Discworld up to Unseen Academicals in my 20s... man it's been a while - maybe it's time for a re-read... Youtube and reddit really destroyed my reading time, but I obliterated my reddit account yesterday.

Was recently obsessed with Zelda TOTK, but after a couple of days unable to play I haven't been able to pick it back up again. Again, fond memories of the original NES Zelda in my childhood and been playing them almost my whole life.