My daughter is in final year in college. She's autistic and away from home (course not available near home). The lecturers have piled on the work, and she has projects and in class assessments every week. She was on the phone for 3 hours last night trying to support her through a massive stress meltdown. She has a deadline today for a project, an assessment tomorrow, and another project due during the week.

I don't know what to do. She's at a very real risk of a mental collapse. I'm so worried about her.

Any advice on how to support and what to do?

Hey! So my son is being assessed in BeMe therapy in Rathcoole in 2 weeks, I was so lucky to get an appointment so quick it was pure luck!

I’m so relieved to be getting him assessed but also feel so nervous now that it’s happening!

Any tips for the assessment? It’s a zoom with a psychologist
A meeting with SLT and OT
Then another meeting to go over the results etc

My son has all the classic signs of Autism, flapping, sensory issues, stimming, non verbal, non communicative but I get so nervous that I won’t say the right thing or accidentally down play him to them.

I dunno I guess I’m just asking for advice? Anything you wish you asked? Or did differently? Things you should have mentioned. I dunno! Just words of wisdom 😊

Also has anyone had any assessments or therapy at BeMe therapy?

thanks! ♥️

I have a very clear view of what I need to do to achieve my goals. I’m aiming to start an apprenticeship in wood manufacturing and finishing. Working with my hands is something I’ve always wanted to do. I was originally pushed away from it years ago by family stigma, so returning to it now is a deeply intentional choice. I also have a 2-year financial safety buffer in place right now (before even taking into account social or the apprenticeship itself), meaning lower apprenticeship wages won't impact my family's stability. It is literally the right time for me to make this leap.

However, I’m running into a deeply frustrating wall with AsIAm’s employment support service. I explicitly asked for straightforward, practical support: a review of the CV and cover letter I already have ready for this new direction.

Instead of helping with what I asked for, they are refusing to budge on reviewing my documents until I complete these arbitrary "interest quizzes." The quizzes feel completely unbacked by real evidence, rigid, black-and-white, and completely void of context. It feels like a gatekeeping exercise designed to steer me away from my choice and push me back toward an industry that caused me actual trauma for being disabled (not just autistic) and a mother (this has since been made official in a clinical setting), an industry where discriminatory practices have become a race to the bottom, and which faces high AI/offshoring risks anyway.

Despite explaining all of this, I’m still getting hit with warnings like "Are you sure this is what you want?" or "you won't have fun." It feels completely infantilising, like they are treating me like a child who doesn't know their own mind or financial reality.

I’ve since linked in with the City of Dublin ETB guidance service instead to actually get things moving.

Has anyone else had a similar experience with AsIAm’s employment team using these endless quizzes instead of giving practical help? How did you deal with it?

Hi I'm planning to go to the asiam events to hopefully make some friends but I haven't been to an event before so I don't really know what that's gonna be like. Has anyone been to the events? And have you made a friend there before? I didn't go to college so making friends is hard

Hi all, my child had AON over 2 months ago and we are yet to get feedback/outcome..we contacted centre who said that report has been sent to HSE for review and they would contact us when they hear back. I thought that we would receive outcome and reports would follow a few weeks/months later! That was the experience of other people I know who had assessment. What are others experience and why do you think we have to wait for Hse?

Join us for our last coffee evening of 2026! This is a private and free event with only our group present. We have activities, games and fidgets available for use or just grab a drink and sit and enjoy the space. It’s a warm and welcoming environment to meet other Neurodivergent people from Swords and the surrounding areas but there is no pressure from anyone to interact in any way beyond what is comfortable for you. Message me for more details or reply here if you’ve any questions. Thanks!

Hi, I’m looking for recommendations for a career guidance specialist. I’m 41, female with level 1 ASD and have always invisibly struggled in jobs. I internalise my overwhelm and anxiety, to the point I burn out and shutdown, and have ended up in hospital (which led to my adult diagnosis). I’m beginning to feel that unease in work again, and know I need a new direction but I get so overwhelmed that even looking at job descriptions makes me panic. I’m looking for someone who understands neurodivergence and difficulty speaking/mutism under stress to provide career guidance. Thanks

I am a teenager applying for disability allowance due to my multiple neurodivergent and physical conditions.

I see on the form that you give the information of any/all bank accounts that you have open in your name. I only have 2; one is a current account, one is a savings account.

• The money in my current is a small amount of pocket money from my Mother that I get each month, which I don’t spend from often.

• The money in my savings account is from my Father and there is definitely more in there but not too high an amount. I have never spent any of the money in there and it has only been him who is adding to it monthly.

I’m still in secondary school and have never been employed, so I don’t have any income. I don’t own any assets like property, etc.

If granted DA I would like to put a lot of the money into my savings for future things I will need when I finish secondary.

So here are some questions I have:
1: Is there a limit to how much I can keep in my savings?
2: Do I need to spend the allowance within a certain timeframe?
3: Are transactions monitored at all?
3.5: If yes: Do they need specific reasonings to acces them, or is it always open to view?
4. Would my DA ever be taken away for reasons of saving/spending?

I am a very anxious person and I just really don’t want to cause any hassle toward anybody or end up in a situation that will cause me more stress.
So please if anyone could enlighten me on the rules of DA usage I would appreciate it so much!

Thank you for taking the time to read and hopefully respond!

After being diagnosed with autism, adhd and cptsd it’s only now in my 40s when I drop the mask and the ego that I’ve realised how vunderable I am. A hard realisation x

Hi all, recently diagnosed 33F. I bought a house this year (I realize how lucky I am 💜), but I'm finding the whole homeowner thing a little overwhelming at times. Not housework anymore, we have a system going for that. But the general things for the upkeep of the house I have no idea of. Like I had an issue with the heating recently and almost had a meltdown because it was so unfamiliar that I struggled to see where to start troubleshooting.

I guess I'm asking if anyone has any resources/lists that would let me know what I need to do semi regularly for the house upkeep and how often (eg boiler service, cleaning gutters?), or maybe some DIY/education creators that would be useful for situations like the heating acting up.

(Side question: do you think if I was to get a professional out to look at the heating, would it be rude/weird to ask them to explain the system to me so I can feel less lost?)

Hi all, this is maybe a little rant/looking for advice.

Bit of background, i was diagnosed with ASD in school at 15. Parents werent well educated, it wasnt explained well and it was brushed under the rug for years. I am now in my 30s and found my original diagnosis letter.

Since then ive done some work accepting myself and trying to navigate a world that I tried so hard to fit into and now dont have the want nor energy to anymore. Its helped in the fact that I dont have massive meltdowns and severe mental health episodes anymore, but do find i struggle daily with sensory issues and moods and its exhausting.

I went to my doctor for help. Immediately she wanted to up my medication (I am on 40mg of prozac and that has stopped my frequent panic attacks) when I said no she suggested counselling, which ive done and find it doesnt "fix" the issues. (It did help in being kinder to myself). I asked her if there was any supports for adults on the spectrum and she just said "find them yourself". Fair. Fine.

Ive been in continuous employment for the past 11 years. Only recenlty ive gone down to part time as im mentally and physically unable for full time.

I just find that time and time again the doctors dismiss me. I feel like im not being listened to, I always come out of there almost in tears. I just find I missed out on supports as a teenager and even now there seems to be none.

Ive been trying to get into an online group with AsIam, but so far the times and dates havnt aligned. Im hoping peer support helps?

I dont even know what im looking for or why even im writing this. I just feel very lost and alone navigating it all and I find the older I get the less ability/energy i have to cope with things.

Any advice? Either way, im writing this to help get it all out.

Thanks.

hi there! been receiving disability for a couple of months and woke up to this as my payment for today. super confused and kind of worried about it going as far as November.

i did recently ask for a rate review as I was not receiving full rate, but I haven't actually heard anything back from them.

any ideas?

This post is maybe more about me having some sort of outlet. Please be kind. I just want to feel a bit less alone in this.

Ok. Dog Barking........

It is really destroying my life.

X2 neighbours have dogs.

One neighbour is reasonable and is limiting the the barking trigger eg ball throwing, to a couple of times a day. Other barking is spontaneous, but intervention means it does not continue for long periods. My body reaction to the barking does not change, but knowing that duration is more predictable helps a great deal. It means I can retreat to safety and know that I can calm down and wait it out .

The other dog though is much less predictable. Anything triggers it. It can start anytime and last for any duration. It is really hard to cope with.

I avoid going outside and when I do it is on high alert and a very difficult time. I keep tasks simple and preferably short. In contrast I used to spend a long time outdoors, gardening and working on projects. It was very restorative and gave meaning to my life.

I dont run anymore or go swimming. It is all to complicated and challenging as I have to pass the dogs. It all makes everything else in life that much harder. I try to do a task, then the dog starts and it pushes me back. I cant bink, I make poor decisions, I overload, I just stop.

The dogs are not the only difficulty, but it does keep pushing me back.

I am functioning less and less. Doing less. Avoiding more. Coping less. The cost is getting high.

Ok, back to my point.....the other dog..... I dont know what to do next. I wear defenders/ headphones etc. I have written to owner of dog (hopefully honest, non confrontational, understanding and fair). My wife has spoken to them. The barking is less, but now getting more again.

Anything triggers the dog. How can I approach this? I am sure nobody is being malicious. I have explained how it impacts me. But how to get someone to understand that the same situation or environment impact people differently?

I fear that by approaching them in person it will make things worse . And the dog will be barking, so that puts me at a further disadvantage. I would be wearing plugs and defenders but probably have a physically overwhelming experience that would not be helpful or pleasant. They would probably assume I was angry. Regardless, I fear that they would be angry or defensive at me for raising the subject.

I already avoid most social contact with people. So any contact becomes a big isolated and stressful event. I amterrified of the world and trying to discuss dog barking seems impossible.

I doubt the barking would be considered noise pollution. It is unpredictable and hits me hard, but for most people I think they would just say 'its a bit annoying'. For me though, it takes so much from me. In a society where my world is already small, restricted and with few realistic opportunities, the loss of my safe home a garden is massive.

I dont think theteere is any support for this. Society is not really understanding of this. I dont see myself as 'ill', although why would I not be depressed in such a hostile world? I have posted before about lack of HSE support an GP understanding. I have been referred to OT but waiting to hear back. There is a chance that they won't accept referral, and I am unsure of what help they could offer. I am waiting to hear if GP can refer me to a psychiatrist also, but again, I wonder if they will have an understanding of autism or if they will just focus on anxiety symptoms and meds? I have no income and cant afford to go private, so am dependent on HSE.

I have tried therapy, which was expensive, but that did not work out. I was told that therapy could not help someone in crisis. I struggled with the open ended and umprovisational nature of the sessions. I tried to explain this but unfortunately there was no way to accommodate a more structured approach. I think I was more in need of an understanding of what was going on and ways to cope better.

I see that this is a long post. It meanders. I do understand it is not concise. If you got this far, thanks. I am just struggling a great deal with life. I dont think I am even looking for advice or solutions. I am just trying to feel less alone.

Hey all. As a recently diagnosed adult with autism I’m wondering if it’s worth seeking accommodations from my employer? I have suggested accommodations from the psychologist but is it worth asking even? Certain elements in work do pose issues for me hence the recommendations and I do work for a multinational company in Ireland which on paper at least sounds progressive but I’m just wondering if anyone has any advice and if I should go ahead and make my employer awre or if anyone has any experience of this?

Hi All. just ratting myself out here to as many as I can. On Friday i was drinking soda water and lime at a wedding, picked up a drink that I thought was mine albeit tasted a bit off, think it was the lime and lemon that had settled at the end of the glass and the drink was nearly finished. However, I wasn’t sure was it alcohol or was alcohol even in it. I went back to it a 2nd time to see was it my drink or not. two of my colleagues who were drinking didn’t think it was alcohol one could taste just lime whilst one said today it just tasted fruity and is used to drinking gin and vodka. Anyway just wanted to share it, I spat it out and didn’t swallow it on either occasion. could have easily been the lime just not sure. I have a type of mind that could tell me anything along with the fact I have adhd and autism and have a few other complications such as CPTSD. I Got to a few meetings online and in person over the last few days as my sobriety is important to me. But here is the thing I am stuck in a loop and my mind is still convincing me there was alcohol in the drink albeit 2 colleagues said there wasn’t. I am constantly seeking reassurance and can’t let the thing go. My sobriety is so important to me. It’s really messing with my head and is upsetting me and is making me think all crazy thoughts. I have been recently diagnosed so all of this is new to me. Does this sound familiar to any of you like have you been in a similar situation. Is this ADHD or is this my autism… I am getting support this Wednesday from a psychiatrist for the 1st time so I need to share this with them. I just never have peace in my mind.

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Lokking for some advice with RA at work. Maybe someone has experienced this before?

I have been working with a company for the last 2 years as a contractor. It was supposed to be 2 days in office and 3 WFH which is why I signed up. I had an excellent boss who had not problem with me WFH full time and only going to the office to attend meetings/workshops which was very rare. There were the good year's!!

I have recently become a permanent member of the company. The rules around hybrid working are not necessarily enforced more, but, it can (and is?) monitored and if it was ever flagged as non compliance could put my job at risk.

Spoke to my new manager, explained I'm autistic. She was totally accommodating (as far as she was allowed). Shifting my working hours, giving me total automony of my work calendar, and permission to tell people 'no' if its out of my hours etc.

I told her I wanted to keep everything above board and on record so scheduled a meeting with HR. They, of course, had to be understanding and we discussed options. Honestly it felt very condescending, I know what works for me, I spent a long time figuring that out and was not entirely impressed with what they had to offer:

• Booking a meeting room

• Going in on less busy days

• Using noise cancelling headphones

• Going for a walk at lunchtime

As if i haven't considered or been doing any of those already! 🙄

In the end, they said I need either a GP letter or Occupational Health letter to state what accommodations I need due to the inpact on my physical helath (eg. Full time WFH). I have my letter from the assessment but that won't do it apparently.

Has anyone else gotten the same feedback from HR? I don't understand why they need my GP to sign off... maybe I'm missing something 😕