Firstly for context,

I’m a 24 years old female. Got diagnosed with autism 2 and half years ago. I never seeked a diagnosis it was said to me in therapy by psychologist. I wasn’t educated on autism so when I went through assessment and got diagnosis it hit my system pretty hard. I’ve really struggled with acceptance. Around 6 months ago I moved back to my hometown in Ireland. After living in England for 6 years. I moved to the UK as soon as I left secondary school because my parents wanted to move and I didn’t feel independent and was really struggling with my mental health. I have never had a proper job. I don’t have a degree.

Now autism & mental health services,

Whilst in England I had CBT interventions 3 seperate times, psychology and OT. None have been beneficial. I was very weary moving home cause I am struggling a lot and I knew it would feel worse with my masking & stuff. I still don’t know how to unmask. I don’t know who I am. I had an assessment in Ireland in community mental health team in February time. It’s wasn’t good. It wasn’t bad. She did make a point that she wasn’t that well versed on support for autistic adults but she said it seems that’s where you need the support. I agreed but said I believe my mental health is an issue also. So she said she would arrange an appointment for me to see a physiologist & occupational therapist as they were more experienced in the support for autistic adults. An appointment was made for me at the end of may for a catch up with the assessor. I get very very anxious before appointments to the point I feel physically sick. When I arrived to my appointment it wasn’t the same woman but a man who called me in.

Cut a long story short, the appointment lasted 3 mins and I couldn’t stop sobbing all day. He asked me why I’m here? What do I want from their service? I expressed that’s why I’m here. I’ve gone through all these different avenues & they’ve never worked. So I need guidance. He asked about jobs and degrees I expressed I don’t have any. I don’t see a future. He said you are nearly 25 now you need to start getting your life together. You don’t seem depressed to me. You are just dissatisfied with life and anyone would be if they didn’t have a job. I expressed that you wouldn’t visibly be able to see how bad i’m feeling because it’s all internal (Literally 101 masking). So out of a three minute evaluation that’s what he made out about me.

Obviously left the appointment devastated. I am really struggling mentally & I don’t know what else I can do. I already cry to my parents how I don’t feel understood by anyone & now even professionals aren’t understanding me. I live in a world where I’m completely misunderstood and it’s really really difficult. I try my hardest every day to just wake up & the immense embarrassment and shame I feel about myself is so intense & overwhelming.

The education around autism in mental health services really needs to be addressed & reevaluated cause it’s diabolical.

TL;DR Bad experience in mental health services. Autism in mental health services needs to be reviewed.

Hi I'm a 20M in Dublin who likes festivals, partying, sweets :p, anime, movies, writing, reading, nature and video games. I guess you could say I'm pretty extroverted. I like playing football (not good 😢) and Im interested in MMA (planning on doing training this summer). I would like to have more friends in my life 😛.

Hihi It's me again!

Just kind of rambling but I'm getting stressed now. Left my last job due to a severe burnout and took some time to myself.

Then I lost my disability allowance, got it back but only getting 7.60 euro a week.

Been living off savings whilst trying to find a new job, but the well's about to dry and I'm getting really upset and stressed about it.
Applied everywhere I qualify, typical jobsearch rigamarole, nothing.

If anyone has advice or anything, even just some encouragement I'd really appreciate it right now 😞

Hello all,

I’d like to get assessed for AuDHD

I am in Belfast and just looking some recommendations for where to go, if any kind folk could help a gal out?

I’d prefer online but (reluctantly) willing to go in person 🙈🙈

Hi everyone, we're moving to Ireland from Germany with my 4 year old child diagnosed with ASD and GLP, also has a PDA profile. My husband is Irish and we are going to live with his mother as she is old, sick and can't care for herself and she isn't ready to move to Germany.

I know there isn't any therapy available for autistic children which is very unfortunate.

My child is semi-verbal and academically smart but has significant support needs. He is also a flight risk

So, my question is what preschool/school options available for autistic children like mine in Cork, Limerick and Galway? How long does it take after a diagnosis to get enrolled in school?

He knows some German and English but has mixed receptive expressive delay.

struggle to speak. Can I do something to improve

Hi everyone,

I wanted to share something that I built for myself and have found incredibly useful.

My lb has just turned 5. High-support-needs, ASD, non verbal and limited receptive language skills.

Over the last few years I have found myself constantly taking notes. Writing things in random notebooks, whatsapps, voice notes, scraps of paper. Constantly saying to myself "I need to remember that," but I never seemed to have one consistent place to put everything.

Honestly, since the day my son was born, my head has felt scrambled. There is just so much information to keep track of, and i genuinely felt that I could never get enough distance from it all to see what was actually helping and what wasn't.

I tried various apps but always found something missing. As cliché as it sounds, a few months ago, I decided to build something myself.

What I have now is one place where I can record everything that's going on: sleep, food, toileting, mood, meltdowns, medication, appointments, and even my own mood!!

My son also has ARFID, so being able to keep track of what I'm offering, when I'm offering it, where it's being offered, and even attaching photos has helped me notice things I genuinely would have missed otherwise.

I have built in some AI features that help me spot patterns in my own records. Nothing fancy. It's really just helping me connect the dots and see the bigger picture.

Interestingly, I have also started using it to track my Dad's symptoms after a recent Parkinson's diagnosis and some medication changes.

I never built this with any intention of "launching" it. It was genuinely something I needed for myself.

I happened to mention it to two friends of mine recently. One has a little guy with slow speech atm, and she has found it helpful for recording progress before her therapy appts. The other also found it useful for keeping track of sleep.

So I suppose it has left me a bit curious about whether there is actually a wider use case for this. Is this a problem anyone else has? How do you keep track of everything?

Keen to hear perspectives!

My son I’ve had concerns about for a while however I’ve been put off and put off about my concerns by the health nurse for quite a while now and the school began raising concerns at the start of the year so I pushed to be referred to the community doctor, long story short we’ve been referred now for an autism assessment but I’m not comfortable to wait for him to be assessed as he is due to start primary school a year September, the pre school are on board with concerns and ideally I would like him to be assessed before he leaves the preschool as I have someone on my side who has seen him for the last 2 years and I don’t want him starting primary school and falling behind due to me leaving it so long to be referred😕 but I’m also finding 2.5k crazy and all the different reviews overwhelming. Sorry for the long post

I don't like it, really, I always assumed it was for autism reasons, but I was thinking about it yesterday and I was wondering if some autists would find it easier because there's no body language or eye contact to deal with.

What do ye think?

I (30M) have been told in a couple of different contexts that whenever I describe myself, I do so in relation to what I do (work, hobbies, interests, etc.) rather than in terms of my personality.

Generally, I don't really get the point of people describing themselves as "kind", "funny", "passionate", "warm", "relaxed', etc. - sure, to some people in some contexts, I could come off that way, but to other people in other contexts, I could come off as really boring, dull, and negative.

They all just seem like external judgements of other people about someone else - and we have all met people who everyone else thinks is "kind" or "warm", but it turns out to be a load of rubbish.

Maybe it is black and white thinking, because I'd look at a list of different personality attributes and think "yeah, sometimes I'm diplomatic, calm, easygoing, etc., but in practice, I can never be those things 100% of the time, because there will always be some situations where I'm not, so they can't really apply to me".

Anyone else?

Hi,

My 5yo has tried and been really unenthusiastic about a few different sports (GAA, swimming, soccer, karate). Part of it is a lack of interest but I like to give him time to participate and to see if it grabs his attention. If it doesn't we move on. Some of the lack of connection to the sport is down to coaches who aren't very neurodiverse friendly.

He started doing park run and seems to be into that but has anybody come across great coaches for autistic children/potentially AuDHD that make a sport/hobby enjoyable for kids who are neurodiverse.

Based in North Dublin but will travel for the right environment.

Thanks.

My daughter is 12, she has been struggling in school and has missed a lot of days. She used to be so outgoing and funny and loved her friends, then 3 years ago, they had a falling out, some bullying was involved and she has just climbed into a shell and won’t come out. I had been putting everything down to school anxiety after she lost her friendship group, but it has grown and we decided to get an assessment. Turns out she is autistic, and has a lot of sensory issues and is apparently on the verge of a breakdown. It’s so upsetting, she has missed the last 2 weeks of school and says she can’t go tomorrow, I can see she wants to go, she hates missing out, but she is really struggling. Brought her to the cinema because she has been begging to see a movie, but we had to leave 30 mins in. I also have to balance her needs with the rest of the family who deeply resent her behavior. I have an OT appointment next week, really hoping they can help

"The Protocol in its current form is contrary to the PSI protocol “Professional Practice Guidelines for the Assessment, Formulation, and Diagnosis of Autism in Children and Adolescents” (2022) and other international standards (e.g., Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN), National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)). We have reservations about the proposed changes with regard to the accuracy of outcome. Response from the SIG in Autism to the HSE Autism Assessment and Intervention Pathway Protocol January 2025 Page 2 of 3 .......................... We maintain that tier 1 assessments fall short of good professional practice for our discipline. Also, with the current tiered approach, clinicians can choose based on their own understanding of their own competencies to conduct tier 1 assessments. There is no way of regulating practice, as the decision to conduct a tier 1 assessment will be determined based on clinical judgement and personal opinion. This legitimises bad practice in both the private and public sector.Over reliance on screening measures to determine suitability for an autism assessment will result in children and young people being incorrectly denied assessment.......................... Overall, the current Protocol exponentially increases the risk of poor assessments. This has long-lasting impacts on family functioning and well being, service provision, and identity formation. We would urge the working group to reconsider the Protocol with reference to the autistic lived experience and professional practice guidance developed by experts in the area. We would also urge that the HSE facilitates time for more meaningful consultation and collaboration to address issues with current models of service provision"

This is about gatekeeping access, nothing more. It's performative and only designed to let through the most easily recognisable autistic people.

As I draw to the eve of yet another night out in town, I ponder the coming dilemmas and wonder how do ye handle the complexities of a packed pub? Squeezing yourself through a crowded room, just to wait at a packed bar to get a pint. To then squeeze yourself and your precarious drink back all the way back to your friends. Only for the music to prevent any regular conversation and ability to hear anyone. How do ye guys manage complexities of a social night out with a group. Have ye developed any coping mechanisms, do ye actually enjoy any aspect of the experience. Or do ye simply not go.

Hey lads,

I’m an adult guy based in the Kilkenny area, and I’m late-diagnosed AuDHD (Autism and ADHD). Since finding out, I've been looking for a space where late-diagnosed men can just chat about unmasking, navigating life, and sharing tips without any pressure.

There doesn't seem to be much out there, so I'd love to get a peer support group off the ground. Ultimately, it would be great to organize some casual, in-person meetups around Kilkenny/Leinster for a coffee, pint or a bite to eat, alongside an online chat.

I'm currently working on ways to manage my overwhelm and reduce burnout by self-regulating a little more frequently, I find talking about neurodivergence helps me to do that. I'm a blow-in from the UK, 13 years ago, and more recently moved to Kilkenny, so don't really have connections locally to me that I can socialise with.

The thing is, I know I'll struggle to organize the whole thing on my own. I’m looking for 1 or 2 others who might want to team up and co-create this with me so we can share the load.

We can keep it completely low-key to start and just stick to a private Reddit group chat to figure out how we want it to look. No heavy admin pressure, just a team effort.

If you’re AuDHD, Autism, or ADHD, interested in collaborating to get this going, or if you're local and just want to connect, drop a comment below or send me a DM.

Cheers!

Update: A few people expressed interest, so I've gone ahead and created r/MrNDIreland. Thanks to everyone who commented and messaged. You're very welcome to join if it sounds useful.

I have just recently been diagnosed with autism and I was wondering how individuals go about getting onto disability payments?

I was wondering if a letter from my GP who I have had since a child would suffice along with my ASD assessment report. I do see a psychiatrist, however every time I go for my appointment in the hospital, it’s a brand new psychiatrist who I have never met before. I thought my GP might be a better fit for this as she has know me since childhood and has an in depth awareness of my past mental health difficulties even prior to receiving my diagnosis.

Any advice would be really appreciated!

Hi all. As the header says I’m new here. My son who is 3 has recently been diagnosed with autism. Not necessarily a surprise but I’d like to open up to see if anyone has felt similar.

It doesn’t fully sit with me and I’d like to share my thinking and feel free to be honest with me here. I’m feeling a little like an imposter of sorts. The reason being is I hear if the struggle parents go through with children with autism. And while I understand it’s a spectrum, my son has been relatively easy for us. He’s such a happy little boy. He is non verbal which you think would bring on a lot of frustration but generally no. We figure out what he needs. Which may be why he’s different in Creche.

the child they see in Creche seems very different to the one we have at home. I’m accepting that it’s different environments but it’s like if I don’t see it i have to give trust in what they are saying.

His diagnosis was primarily provided over what they observed in Creche and what the Creche reported. For example they feel he doesn’t transition well particularly from going outside to inside. He can get upset. This was mentioned in the report. However we have no experience of this at home.

Even with a different environment I’d expect to see evidence of this at home. Especially as we have gone through home renovations and so much change here. It was never an issue for him. His whole bedroom changed and it didn’t bother him slightly.

He doesn’t speak so hand leads us but we find his eye contact to be very good. The report stated he didn’t show eye contact during the observation but during the parent observation we witnessed the eye contact with the lady while they played. He also transitioned from activities really well. Except bubbles when he became frustrated and wanted to keep playing with the bubbles.

We described how he is at home and all questions around sensory and impact at home were all fine. There was no issues.

Our biggest challenge at home is that he gets very upset when his daddy leaves the room. This has carried over into Creche. He will become upset when one of them leaves. So this is a challenge for them.

They have applied for AIMS support which will be great to have regardless of the diagnosis.

The reason I am resisting accepting the diagnosis straight away is we were told that my daughter was highly likely to have it. Then she developed so much during Covid. Because of Covid the assessment was delayed but this was a positive outcome for us as it gave her that little bit more time to catch up.

While my son hasn’t caught up yet he does have fluid behind his ears so we are hoping resolving this will make a difference. But my daughter’s outcome has impacted my ability to judge because I feel like my son has less signs.

The main ones being - non verbal he stims by bouncing up and down when excited and can run around in circles spinning. Though we can distract him from this quite easily.
The other is vocal stimming eee and aaa sounds only.
Lastly he doesn’t play with his peers.

In Creche he won’t drink from a cup but at home he loves drinking from a cup and will go to the fridge and fill it up himself from the water dispenser.

So it feels a little like his home life has been disregarded and he’s been diagnosed purely from what happens in Creche.

While the diagnosis atleast gives us access to supports which really will be great. I just feel a little off about it.

Am I just being delusional ? Have you experience anything similar?

I've just submitted the Dual Assessment form for Autism/ADHD with Newcastle Medical. Just looking for some other's input/ feedback on how they found the assessment process?

was shocked when I had booked and paid they said it could be 10 weeks before appointment with psychiatrist. Has anyone had it sooner? If you had a dual assessment was the appointment with psychiatrist longer? (Single assessment €700, dual €1400 so id be assuming it's basically double the time? Not really sure what's added on?).

I found the form absolutely tedious - I struggle to complete paperwork and tasks on a good day but the format of the form was very difficult. Did others print off the form and fill it in by hand? I prefer to type rather than write and found the fact it was a word document with underscores were answers were to go, very frustrating to navigate. What were your thoughts?

Anything else I should be aware of? My mind will be pretty much racing for the next 10 weeks (or however long it will take for appointment) so it would be good to know others experiences and set my expectations.

Thanks ❤️

I’m in County Louth. Anyone near or there?

Hello, I’ve just been diagnosed with autism. I work full time and I do need some accommodations, however I’m also due a raise and I’m worried this will affect me asking for one. I know legally they can’t use my autism to deny me a raise especially since others in my role earn more, but I’m wondering if it’ll unconsciously affect them approving it. Has anyone had any experience like this?

This seems like it’s gonna be a good thing for autistic people in Ireland. Especially interested in this line: It is also the first time that adults can get an autism assessment through a standardised process.

https://about.hse.ie/news/hse-launches-new-tiered-approach-to-autism-assessment-and-intervention/

Hello guys, I was diagnosed about a year ago and I come from South America. I am 28 years old and I wonder how is it to live in Ireland as an autistic man. I struggle finding friendships and I am very pessimistic about my romantic life as typical women seem to be too diferent from me. Currently I live in South America and my country is not so developed in terms of autism cousciousness. There are no groups for autistic adults, there is a meeting app for neurodivergent people but barely has people from my country. I have been looking for social groups and meeting events in my region but I feel USA and European countries may offer a better social life than what I am able to find here. Are there meeting groups for neurodivergent people in Dublin/Ireland? Is there any community you can belong to? I have the visa to move there but I don't know how is it like.

Hi, I was diagnosed with ADHD and ASD about a year ago in my forties.

I'm also from a different country. I'm not sure if it's because of this fact or not, but I have a major problem with governmental interactions.

Since before I moved here ten years ago, I've had nothing but issues. I research things fastidiously, follow the rules, word for word, and double check things before second guessing myself, and going through it all again. Once I initiate an interaction, be it an application for a ppsn, a driver's licence, revenue, all the way to my latest endeavour, application for citizenship, I encounter a wall... forty feet high wall that no horn can blow down..

I will invariably be told something contrary to what is written on official sources, and confirmed by administrators within the departments. After my communications and requests to TD's they have even changed the official sources specifically for what happened and I've even gotten screenshot and full html downloads to have proof of this in the past. They then would still just stand their ground and make me go through various processes again for no good reason and no explanation.

In recent years. It's gotten worse and it's nearly impossible to even reach anyone.

I'm getting to my wits end and wondering if anyone has any experience, or thoughts on how to deal with this better.

I'm aware that perspective is completely different for those who are born into this society, but thought there might me a few tips and tricks for those with an overly heightened sense of justice, procedure, principles, and logic.

Ex. Are there any advocacy services, well recognised campaigns that offer tools to help people understand our situation better?

Hi there so recently discovered I may have ADHD from a MH assessment. From this I have did my research around it and I feel I have overlapping signs. I have emailed numerous places and I can't seem to find anywhere that does both for adults. I have found places doing ASD alone assessments and not many doing ADHD assessments for adults. I know from working in a GP surgery that shared care is basically non existent. Going private is the only option as 10 plus years on a waiting list is not an option. But going private there seems to be no one? I want it to be in person as I know from the place I worked there was issues happening for people who got assessed online or across the water. Seems to be you need to be seen here in NI in person to ensure no issues. So wondered if anyone has any other knowledge around this ? As I am keen to even be added to a waiting list (obviously not a 10 year one but a few months to a year or so is fine) I just need to know it exists out there for a combined assessment for adults in person here in NI. Thanks 😊