My Autism Diagnosis & Report

There’s something surreal about sitting down with your autism diagnostic report. For months — sometimes years — you’ve been wondering, second-guessing, and piecing together clues about your brain. Then suddenly, there it is in black and white: your story told back to you by someone who’s only just met you.

In this post, I want to share my experience of receiving my autism diagnosis and reading through my report. It wasn’t just paperwork — it was a moment that changed how I see myself, my past, and my future.

👉My Autism Diagnosis and Report

The Build-Up to Diagnosis

Before my report landed in my hands, I’d been through months of questioning. I’d had suspicions about being autistic, but like so many of us, I doubted myself.

Was I autistic enough? Would they think I was exaggerating? What if I’d masked too well to be seen?

The assessment itself was a blur — questions about my childhood, my routines, my sensory world. By the time I got the report, I felt both nervous and desperate for answers.

Reading the Report for the First Time

When I opened the report, my first reaction was: this doesn’t sound like me… but it also really does.

It was clinical, full of formal phrases like “restricted interests” or “deficits in social communication.” The language felt detached, almost harsh at times. But behind those words, I could see my story.

Moments from childhood I’d forgotten about were there in writing. The struggles I thought I’d hidden so well had been noticed. It was like looking into a mirror — but one that reflected not just who I am now, but who I’d always been.

The Emotions That Came With It

It’s hard to put into words just how many emotions come with reading a diagnostic report. For me, it wasn’t just one feeling — it was a flood of them all at once:

Relief: Finally, someone had named what I’d always felt. Validation: Proof that I wasn’t just “lazy” or “dramatic.” Grief: For the little girl I used to be, who struggled silently. Frustration: At all the years I spent unsupported. Hope: That now, with clarity, I could start living more authentically.

It’s strange to feel so many things at once — but that’s what late diagnosis often is: bittersweet.

Why Reports Can Feel So Clinical

One thing I noticed was how the report didn’t capture me. It captured my traits, my behaviours, my struggles — but not my personality, my humour, my strengths.

That’s when I realised: the report isn’t meant to define me. It’s a tool.

A tool to access support. A tool to validate my needs. A tool to remind me, on hard days, that this is real.

The real “report” of who I am is the life I live every day.

What I Did With My Report

After the initial emotions settled, I started to use the report in practical ways:

Sharing it with people close to me so they could understand me better. Using it to request adjustments in daily life. Reflecting on the parts that resonated most, and how they explained so many of my past struggles.

It wasn’t easy, but it helped me shift from “this is overwhelming” to “this is empowering.”

Tools That Supported Me

Getting a diagnosis is one step — but learning to live with it is ongoing. A few things really helped me after reading my report:

Free Diagnosis Roadmap → I wish I’d had this earlier, but it’s perfect for anyone going through or preparing for their own journey. Symptom Trackers → these helped me see patterns that weren’t even mentioned in the report, but were still so important to my daily life. Un-Masking Guidebook → because energy management became even more important once I started unmasking and letting myself just “be.”

Finding Myself in the Words

At first, the report felt like a cold document. But as I sat with it, I realised: those words represent real struggles I’ve lived through. They don’t take away my personality or identity — they simply validate my reality.

The report gave me permission to stop doubting myself. It gave me the courage to accept that I am autistic, and that doesn’t make me broken. It makes me me.

Conclusion

If you’ve recently received your autism diagnosis, or are waiting for your report, know that whatever emotions come up are valid. Relief, sadness, hope, anger — they can all exist together.

The report may look clinical, but it doesn’t define who you are. It’s simply one step in understanding yourself more deeply. The rest of the story? That’s yours to write.

👉My Autism Diagnosis and Report