NO support for older people in the UK with AS?

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Hi fellow Aspies...just wondering if any person with AS gets any kind of support over the age of 26yrs in the UK?
I think in the UK the younger people get much more support with AS than people who are older
I found out about my AS at a much older age and was wondering if there is anyone over the age of 26 still get's any kind of support for the issues they are still having with their AS or have they just been left to get on with it!

I am finding out that the UK is cutting down on all kinds of support for people with Autisim..and the sad fact is that the older you get the less help is available for you......all ages still require support if they have major problems with AS..what do you all think about the support you might get as an older person in the US compared to the UK?

What services do young people get, in your area? I don't know what services other children get here, but there's no support whatsoever for my daughter, so, if she's to get even less as an adult, there will be no change. Any help or advice we've received has been from the NAS. At my daughter's diagnosis appointment, that's the direction we were pointed in. We can go back to our GP, for referrals for specific problems. But, so can anyone of any age, with or without a diagnosis of autism. The diagnosis just makes it easier for the GP to work out where to refer her. All support groups, etc, are run by the NAS or groups of people getting together. And the NAS in my area only runs support groups for older teenagers, adults and parents, nothing for kids at all, other than the very occasional party. The only autism specific service I've been able to find is a drama class, run by an individual, with some council grant funding.

What support do you need? There seems to be nothing after 18, at least where I am. Their response is to contact the local NAS branch (which you might have in your area) and they'll sort everything out for you. Except, they can't. I asked what this local branch offer and was told "we're not a substitute for counselling. We offer weekly meeting for adults on the spectrum". The meetings are basically a get together. We discuss issues we have and meet up at the end of each month for a quiz / a few drinks. The idea of the group being to meet others on the spectrum and share ideas we have.

I find that there's nothing where I live apart from philosophy in pubs club I go to where there are a few aspies, but we don't talk about being an aspie really. There's a tiny group for parents of autistic kids but that's it. I'd really like to go to a conference or something.

I'm 21 and have no "help", as such, apart from an unofficial local group that meets once a month in the library. In fact, being diagnosed had the opposite effect; when they found out it was ASD and not mental illness I got discharged from all the services I had access to through mental health services (respite, key worker, arts and crafts etc).

I am from UK. I only recently got diagnosed. I've been told I'm going to get support from a social worker to help find housing and stuff but I think that is probably more to do with my mental health than my AS - she came to see me and seemed able/willing to help *before* I got diagnosed. She also spoke about the possibility of, when I first get my own place, having somebody coming to visit me (basically to check I'm looking after myself properly) for maybe an hour or two a week. Whether or not any of this will happen remains to be seen.

All adults on the spectrum are entitled to a social care assessment. Whether you'll get one is another matter. I'm in the middle of one right now.

That is true. I hear of support networks for people on the autism spectrum but they are mainly for children and young adults on the autistic spectrum and for some others it does tend to close the stable door after the horse has bolted because it should have been thought up earlier and this can cause a lot of ill feeling within groups of aspies. There is only apologetics from allistic people. Whats it going to be like in another twenty or more years when AS people born during the 1960s are in their 60s or 70s in age. These should be set up for because the needs of the elderly autistic person has to be addressed now as to prevent abuse and neglect.

I was diagnosed at the age of 30, just last year after waiting 2 years for a diagnostic meeting. The only treatment I recieved was 6 months of fortnightly psychological therapy. It was supposed to go on for more like 8 months but my specialist had to go on maternity leave and I've been left high and dry by the health authorities ever since due to funding problems and cutbacks as she was the only person qualified to deal with me.

I think even the charities have their hands tied because apart from that the only 'assistance' has been from the NAS but even with them not a great deal has happened. I applied to join their social groups in last year and was assured I would recieve an acknowledgement after the summer. That was about April or May that I originally applied and have still recieved nothing.

If AS adults recieve no help, I think its worse for AS adults who are married or cohabiting. I think single adult aspies are entitled to apply for sheltered housing or social care assistance to find new housing. I couldnt access any of that because I am married to an NT. It would have come in helpful too, as last month we were under threat of eviction due to our landlord's house getting reposessed.

I receive 1-to-1 support/counselling from the local autistic society in my area.
However, I have to pay for it - both the NHS and the Council Social Work department refused to pay for it in spite of everyone agreeing I needed it.
I was lucky enough to receive low rate DLA when I applied for it, and this pays for one hour per week.

I am still on the waiting list for an assessment.
If there is no support available even with a diagnosis I'm not sure if there is any point going on with the assessment.

There's no support for adults with Aspergers in my town so I set up a support group in 2011 that is still running.

No one in the group was interested in helping me further the group by setting up a committee to apply for funding
- they were all very apathetic so I ended up leaving them to it

It depends what kind of support you want

In life it's far better to learn how to support yourself and not expect others to do it for you

A lot can be gained yourself by reading books and from interacting with others on online forums like this one

NTs are very limited in terms of the support they can offer as most don't have a clue what Aspergers is and don't even understand it properly even if you tell them

We are therefore our own best advocates

People use this nebulous term 'support' but need to state exactly what they mean by support

I think support for older autistics depends on the level of need and what is available in your area. I don't require too much support, though I do need a few accommodations at uni. Some places are better equipped than others and of course with the cuts that are being made, even more people are struggling right now. There should be a local subsidiary of NAS in your area who can advocate for you, but I'm not entirely sure how it all works.

Define 'support' though

I'm 46 and I support myself with occasional input from mental health services

I made the effort of finding myself a part time job to get off ESA benefits (support group) and only 2 months into the job I was bullied by a cover manager and they are probably going to dismiss me as a result of me complaining about it and they are saying they can't accommodate my Aspergers in the workplace, despite my doing the job with no problems for 2 months prior to the bullying incident. It's a complete mockery of discrimination and employment law and we'll see what an employment tribunal makes of it all.

What is the point in being 'supported' to enter into the workplace if this kind of stuff is going to be the end result?

You need to be exceedingly thick-skinned and bully-proof to hold down a job these days, that's all I can say.
No amount of 'support' is going to stop people being bullies and being supported by management in doing so.

I've made the point before, there is very little the NHS can do for us besides counselling and therapy for co morbids.

The best departments in my view to help are social services and the business sector. Social services, because they need to roll out the new PIP's YESTERDAY and get the ASD spectrum comorbids onto the qualifying symptoms for eligibility for welfare reciept and the business sector because they need to create more workplaces with an autism friendly environment.

I believe the answers behind autism lie with the adults. More focus should be spent with adults so as to find out more about our experiences and how we cope.

My symptoms were severe as a child, now I’ve managed to grow out of some of the symptoms, unless I become stressed somehow.

The medical world seems to work backwards, there is too much emphasis on the young with autism and not enough energy goes into adults with the condition.

It’s no wonder half the doctors out there don’t have a clue to what they are doing or talking about.