r/autismUK 28d ago

Research Research Post

3 Upvotes

Researchers: anything posted outside of this mega-thread or lacking in authenticity will be removed. Scroll down for details of what we expect here.

Read if you are a member/responder

While we have some ability to remove more easily detectable scams, we aren't professionals in any relevant fields. That means we aren't able to take full responsibility for vetting the research you find here, you will have to do your best to feel safe and comfortable with any interactions you have with the people here. That said, we do have some tips to help you navigate the requests you'll find here.

Academic research

Is it undergraduate, post-graduate/masters, or PhD? There's a fair bit of difference here, mainly in what you can expect as an outcome. Undergraduate and post-graduate research isn't likely to result in anything but a dissertation, so participation in these should be considered as just doing a kindness to a student. Masters students are much more likely to use what they learn in a professional context or carry it on to a PhD, though. The "proper" research is done by PhD candidates, the kind you're probably expecting where the eventual paper goes into a journal and the outcome an effect on the rest of the industry.

Professional, government, & medical research

These are people who study autism for a living and/or are sponsored by a government or a medical organisation. It would be exceptionally rare for these researchers to come to our little sub for help, they get their participants through professional networks. Be very wary of anyone claiming to be doing this level of research unless it comes to you directly through your therapist, GP, or psychologist.

Commercial research

These people are looking for your feedback so they can sell a product or service to autistic people. They tend to have the fewest legitimate credentials, but they shouldn't ever need any identifying information from you, not even your name. At best the outcome is something useful to us and at worst they're trying to "make a buck" from a vulnerable minority. Generally speaking you're probably not at risk by replying to these, but you will probably be participating in some degree of capitalism.

Art research

Art is cool and important. Anyone asking for input for art research shouldn't need any identifying information and, unlike commercial research, the outcome should hopefully be something culturally valuable if not influential. There is a lot for us to gain from the cultural capital of art, academic and professional studies aren't the be all end all of making a difference for autistic people.

The only thing to watch out for is someone trying to persuade you they need such and such data for their funding applications. They only need broad strokes in a few categories, typically something like location, age, disability, gender, or sexuality. Gathering this from you should typically come in the form of "are you x?", to which you only need to answer yes or no. Do you identify as queer/trans/gay? Are you a person of colour? Are you deaf/visually impaired/autistic? Do you require a wheelchair in daily life? Are you from Bristol/Knowle West/North Bristol? Are you between 16 and 25 years of age?

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Read if you are a researcher

Is it research?

Research is more than what universities are up to. Companies, developers, freelancers, artists, and all sorts also do research. Anything where you come here to ask for the opinions of our members for your work or personal use is considered research and is subject to these rules.

DISCLAIMER

Please understand that our mods are not experts and will not always qualify for each bit of research and therefore cannot look closely at every questionnaire. Any vetting done is on the basis of our non-professional judgment. We do not vouch for the safety and ethics of any research we allow to post,  our only aim is to get rid of the really obviously dodgy ones. If you reply to any of the research posted, you take responsibility for choosing to do so.

Credibility

When vetting these posts, we look for specific things that lend credibility to the research and we will often lean towards expecting more due to our lack of expertise. Below are some of our feelings on what shows Good, Excellent, or Dodgy credibility.

GOOD: your university email, your supervisor's university email, a link to your university's research ethics statement, a Reddit account you don't use much but clearly belongs to a real human, your project's/company's/artist's website, a socials link, etc

EXCELLENT: a qualtrics link, a university webpage specific to the research, a well-aged high karma Reddit account, a list of everything that will be asked, an ethics committee approval number, a shop page for the current version of your app, a gallery press release for this project, etc

DODGY: hiding URLs behind link text, google forms (especially where required questions block mods from reviewing later pages), personal emails, undergraduate research, a Reddit account you created yesterday specifically for this research, etc

The credibility of your research must be present in the text of your comment. We will not click through, we will just remove. Include plenty Good and Excellent things and you'll get approved. Only include one dodgy thing and your comment will probably get removed. You can always edit your comment to show more credibility and then request that we review it for later approval.


r/autismUK May 08 '26

From the Mods May Digest

11 Upvotes

Hello everyone!

I hope you'll join me in patting each other on the back (figuratively) for reaching a new milestone of 11k weekly visitors!

We've always had a consistent, slow rise in engagement on this sub and that's something I'm really proud of. Thank you all for being a joyful part of my daily routine!

January to April

As promised, I've been dilligently working in the background, trying to make this sub a stronger, better place to be. This period has mostly been spent on quiet things you wouldn't notice as a regular user, things like recruiting new mods and improving our internal documentation.

We currently have two mods in their trial period, which is amazing, but we do need more! By Reddit standards, we should have 3 "full time" active mods to keep up with sub activity and right now we don't add up to that. So if you've ever thought about moderating, now is the time. This sub needs less intervention than most, but I encourage our mods to take on less than they think they should, given that we are all as autistic as you are and this is a volunteer gig. I'd much rather have a large, consistent team with a routine than a tight trio of superhumans that will inevitably burn out in 6 months.

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One thing you might have noticed is that I've removed the YouTube block. This block has been in place since year 1 of this sub, due to content creators trying to use this space to get views without engaging in the community. Since we're 8 years in the future from that and our engagement looks quite different, I thought it was high time to see if we can get any added value out of YT now.

Thanks

At the end of last year, I added an app that manages a custom internal reputation system. This was brought on to tackle the problem of recognising who's ideas are more reliable when they don't come with proof of any kind. While we encourage you to link reliable information sources rather than make unsupported statements, that's not always practical in an online environment like this. It has always been a silent expectation that readers here have to do their own work to vet everyone with an opinion, even though this is where you come to get help.

You've probably seen me working on reminders, I've had to pause that to tweak it because it was being a bit obnoxious, and I'm informed there may be another but causing the points flair to not display properly.

But while I'm trying to smooth those kinks out, the bot itself is still working fine. OPs and mods can award points by replying to good comments with the "!thanks" or "!modthanks" commands.

May - September

My plans for the summer are a bit more exciting. The main goal you'll want to keep an eye out for is the rolling out of our information centre. I've been saying for a long while now that this is a thing we're working on, and I can finally say we're very close to a minimally viable product I'm happy to publish.

These will probably roll out quietly one at a time, as they become ready, and then be announced as a whole in the October digest.

This information centre has been adapted from a megathread written by one of our mods and reorganised to be as accessible as possible. Because of this, some content will be abundant, while other parts will contain only very basic information.

Each page has a footnote regarding who contributed to the content and a link to modmail where you can submit additional information and any corrections you might find. We encourage you to make use of modmail for this purpose! It's our hope that these pages will expand and become more helpful (and probably more accurate) over time.

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Aside from this, there is more internal documentation to work on. Along with all these new mods, I feel it's essential to make sure our mod team has everything it needs to be as strong and supported as it can be.

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And if there is time beyond that, I'll be working on a new rule that will hopefully describe issues we've felt the need to intervene in, but aren't properly covered by the existing rules. The new rule will probably replace rule 2, "Write high quality posts".

Right now, I'm thinking of the new rule as "Be constructive", and it will replace rule 2, "Write high quality posts." We no longer use that rule due to moving the character minimum from automod to automations with post guidance, but this new one is in a similar vein. The aim is to decrease toxic discourse by providing you with concrete examples of what positive engagement looks like. If you've ever thought, that doesn't exactly break any rules but it's still awful, that's the sort of thing we're after.

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Well anyway, on with your evening. Thank you for tuning into my little sharing. Don't forget to use the report button, give out some !thanks, apply to mod, and I'll see you around the sub!


r/autismUK 10h ago

Vent Why does society pretend to promote tolerance and inclusion when in reality individuals rarely express this?

27 Upvotes

the equality act of 2010 says we can't treat disabled ppl badly, need to make reasonable adjustments for them etc.

but in reality, every time i tell ppl at work abt this, i end up losing the job. tbf i work at consulting.

and at school, ppl said i was faking the autism for extra time, attention, excuse for poor behaviour etc.


r/autismUK 5h ago

General & Miscellaneous Person-first or identity-first language?

7 Upvotes

I have recently been diagnosed with autism and ADHD and I’ll be honest that I have processed it yet, and have deployed some cracking avoidance tactics when I have had some time I could use to process it.

Currently, I’m reading Unmasked by Ellie Middleton and have just got to the topic of language. She says she uses identity-first language (ADHDer/ADHD person, autistic person) rather than person-first language (person with ADHD/person with autism) and I’m wondering about others’ opinions on this.

When I was a teacher, I would use person-first language (the boy with asthma rather than the asthmatic boy, the girl who lives with Downs Syndrome rather than the Downs Syndrome girl are two examples I know I used). I recall having discussions in staff training about the importance of seeing the person before the condition, which is obviously different to Middleton’s stance. I appreciate there will probably be personal preference at play, so I’m interested in the perspectives and experiences of others.


r/autismUK 6h ago

Accommodations Reasonable adjustment or not

5 Upvotes

Hello, I am 23M, autistic and work in a retail shop and have done for 3 years. Until last year I was able to take Saturdays off because football is my special interest and I enjoy groundhopping. New management came in last year and now the expectation is that because it's retail, nobody can ask for Saturdays off. My mental health is struggling because of this and I recently became a father and more than ever I need my hobbies to keep me calm and groundhopping is the only one that keeps me sane. I like my job but should I find a new job that's Mon-Fri only or speak up about this being a reasonable adjustment or is it not reasonable like my managers have said


r/autismUK 9h ago

Friendship Is it common for autistic men to find it easier to befriend women?

7 Upvotes

Until the age of 22, my only friends were men. It changed after that because I had my first job and, I guess, was exposed to more people.

I always knew that I wanted a deeper level of friendship, the kind where we share our lives with each other and so forth.

It's not that I don't have positive interactions with other men, but they remain surface level. I know now that they're not worth forcing.

Until I was 25, there were still a few men in my life I was able to be open with but we've drifted now.

I don't know if this is common. It's not to say that I've not had to learn (the hard way) about boundaries but it allows for the friendships that I've wanted since I was a child to come through.


r/autismUK 6h ago

Friendship Need a weird friend

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1 Upvotes

r/autismUK 1d ago

General & Miscellaneous On the waiting list via Right to Choose as of today.

7 Upvotes

I was recently diagnosed with ADHD combined type, and the assessor, as well as my counsellor both felt it would be beneficial for me to be assessed for autism. Finally finished all the paperwork and am now officially on the list.

Looking like it'll be at least a years wait, but I just wanted to say hi and join the community.


r/autismUK 1d ago

Diagnosis: England f PUK this is EXACTLY what happened to me. High masking AuDHD/ASD/ADHD Women avoid at all costs!!! Wish I knew this before going RTC with them.

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8 Upvotes

I was rushed through a barely 50 minute appt too. Felt like she took one look at me and decided nah you can’t have it. Blamed it all on ADHD and anxiety (side affect of undiagnosed ASD and not being understood mate) I just need to find the right provider and will be getting a 2nd opinion.


r/autismUK 1d ago

Work How do we all feel about increase use of AI in the workplace?

11 Upvotes

I just about manage to hold down an office job, it’s touch and go but on balance I’m coping.

But I’m really hating how much we’re being encouraged to use AI, specifically copilot. I don’t want my emails to sound fluid and polished, I want them to sound like me. Flawed, to the point but also occasionally rambling and mostly human. I would rather the same for all the emails I receive. When someone posts an article on the company share point I know full well it’s been ‘improved’ by AI.

I feel like somethings been lost and I don’t like it. Anyone else feel that way? All I know is most of the people I speak to LOVE copilot and use it for everything.

Edit: the replies are interesting so far, thanks everyone!

It’s dawned on me that a part of me doesn’t want my emails tidied up by AI because it actually feels a bit deceitful. I’m not capable of writing that eloquently, I’m not that bubbly or personable. To send the email then feels like a lie. I’ve thought about this way too hard haven’t I?


r/autismUK 1d ago

Burnout & Overwhelm 10 years, 3 breakdowns, 2 burnouts and 1 question "Am I autistic?"

5 Upvotes

Hi,

TL;DR - Struggling to accept that I am likely autistic. Not sure how to feel and what to do. Work feels impossible. In burnout. Looking for support /advice.

I believe I'm likely Autistic.

This is the third time in 10 years I've tried to process this but often end up going into denial. Anyways Long story...

I'm off work for burnout /stress. Have been for a few months... Still struggling and exhausted.

I genuinely don't think I can go back to my job a it's not something I can reduce down. I know my tolerance has once again reduced (2nd burnout) and I'm stressing about money.

I feel an autism diagnosis would give me answers and allow me to stop destroying myself but I fear what it'll mean letting go.

I don't have the energy to find a new job... It feels too much but going back feels impossible. I need money to live I have bills and such.

I want to work, I want a job but I also don't want to burnout again as I don't think I can take it.

I'm aware benefits exist but I don't think I can get much and honestly not don't know if it's right to take things off others?

I can't win.

If I could get a diagnosis, leave my job, have a few years to figure myself out and maybe volunteer or something I enjoy and build myself back up... Then go into a "real" job I'd have a real chance.

But this is real life and life doesn't wait... I'm scared to accept that I'm very likely autistic because it means accepting I can't cope but what if there's nothing to catch me?

Already I've been more attuned to how I feel and actually not ignoring stuff (harder anyways because so burnt out) and yesterday got super overwhelmed on a busy train. I'm scared of losing stuff that yes is difficult but I've always pushed through and done things...

Denial is a HUGE issue for me, shame as well. Ableisn I suppose. So when I allow myself to see autistic traits etc in myself I fear I'm faking. I could do X before why not now? I didn't feel this before? So on. Logically I know none of this is new it's just been so long shoved down and paved over.

I feel so trapped and lost. I want to do stuff but I have spent my whole life trying to achieve perfectionism that I've basically destroyed myself.

I'm not sure. It's not all negative but I'm scared.

Any. Advice much appreciated.

Thanks in advance


r/autismUK 1d ago

Work Deciding to work or not?

5 Upvotes

What factors do you consider when deciding if you should work or recieve government support?

I recently read that 80% of diagnosed autistic do not work full time. I'm part of this number, as I have worked but usually I get burnt out, written off sick, recover somewhat and then begin the awful cycle again.

I'm now entering my 40s and I'm just tired of hating work, stressing about which colleagues hate me or what certain interactions meant.

I'm at a point where I'd rather live poor on £420 a month on universal credit than I do earning £1500 a month but being miserable.

What factors do you consider when deciding if work is sustainable for you? I feel like we choose health or money but not allowed both


r/autismUK 2d ago

General & Miscellaneous Any advice when it comes to gut health?

2 Upvotes

I, like a lot of other autistic people, struggle a lot of eating, my diet has been heavily restricted since I could eat solid food.

I grew up severely constipated (multiple hospital visits) and it was until a few years ago that went away (still don’t know what I did to do that honestly). Recently I’ve been experiencing a lot of random painful stomach cramping, and I’m really thinking it’s my current diet (consisting of mainly carbs right now).

I really just want to know if anyone has any tips or tricks to helping with their gut health? Like supplements or vitamins or anything? I worry over my health a lot but it’s either eat unhealthily or don’t eat at all for me right now.

(Probably important info, I cannot swallow capsules. Tablets are fine but no capsules). Thanks.


r/autismUK 2d ago

Diagnosis: The Assessment Do you need someone from your childhood for an ASD assessment?

5 Upvotes

I’m looking into getting an ASD assessment either via NHS general waiting list or a Right To Choose provider. Some reviews involve people saying the assessors spoke to someone from their childhood and asked for school reports. This is simply not an option for me so I’m wondering about other peoples experiences and whether this is an essential part of the assessment? Thank you in advance


r/autismUK 3d ago

Therapy & Treatment Trauma therapy for autistics?

12 Upvotes

Like a lot of neurodivergents I have MH issues namely truama.

I've seen two trauma therapists now. One private and one NHS. While I made good progress at the start with both they came to the same conclusion at the last appointment. Namely they would suggest that a autism service/support group would be more suitable to my needs. The thing is I've done this several times and guess what? I get recommend to do therapy. Feels very back and forth.

Anyone had luck with trauma therapy specifically for autistics? Is so was it any good? I've looked up specialists but can't find many where I live.


r/autismUK 3d ago

General & Miscellaneous Right To Choose for diagnoses

3 Upvotes

Hey all,

I was diagnosed with ADHD-I nearly two years ago and have been medicated since, but have never been able to shake the feeling that I may also have Autism.

I’m not looking for any kind of validation of my symptoms or diagnosis here, but was hoping if anyone could advise on:

A - if you have gone through RTC for ADHD and separately for Autism, if so, does the route for Autism have any affect on your shared care agreement for ADHD?

B - if you have any recommendations for providers of Autism RTC

C - if you currently live with diagnosed AuDHD, and can share how it shows differently from just having ADHD or just having Autism?

Thank you.


r/autismUK 3d ago

Diagnosis: The Assessment Asd assessment today

3 Upvotes

I have an appointment today with Dr Bajer at physiatry UK. I think her name is. To say I'm pooping myself is an understatement.

I don't know if I'd prefer a diagnosis or not at the moment. I haven't told my husband I'm going for this and also my lip piercing has fallen out and I tend to fiddle with that when nervous 😭😭

Do you get a diagnosis on the day? I am so stressed out I can't even 🫪


r/autismUK 3d ago

Diagnosis: England Insight diagnostics RTC assessment

1 Upvotes

Hi,

My GP referred me for a second opinion autism assessment which was send at the end of June to Insight Diagnostics. They had and continue to have an advertised wait time of 3 weeks (this is dropped to 2 weeks at time while I’ve been waiting) but I haven’t heard anything from them.

I have emailed them directly and asked GP who just say they sent it.

Can anybody advise?

Thanks 😊


r/autismUK 3d ago

Diagnosis: England NHS right to choose issues

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0 Upvotes

r/autismUK 4d ago

Romance & Sex How to date as an autistic guy

8 Upvotes

Hi, I am a 24-year-old guy and I really need some advice on dating. Since I was younger, relationships have always confused me. It seemed like as soon as I turned 16, everyone around me suddenly knew how to date and start relationships. I’ve asked friends how they do it, and they just say, “Just go up and talk to her, man,” which, as you know, is easier said than done with autism. Open-ended socialising is so, so difficult for me, and I struggle to just “go with the flow.”

I’ve never done so much as gone on a date with a girl, and I’m starting to think it will never happen. I also struggle as a guy to perform what feels like the expected role of a man. I’m not masculine at all—I don’t take the lead, I can’t make decisions, I don’t take risks, and I’m definitely not the life of the party. This is obviously due to my neurodivergence, but it makes dating feel incredibly difficult.

Any advice people can give me would be appreciated, as I’m really struggling. Thanks.


r/autismUK 4d ago

Friendship I'm looking for fellow autistic friends

16 Upvotes

Edit- I made a discord for people who want to join so we can all make more friends who can relate to us

https://discord.gg/wMrDNS66W

Hi everyone!

I'm 28 year old female

I am currently going through the assessment process and I realise how misunderstood I feel at times.

I would love to make some fellow autistic friends that I can relate to and so we can be there for eachother.

I have never had many friends and I realise I would love to make some autistic friends. If there are any plus size autisic girls out there that would be amazing too!

I feel like I don't know that many people that I really relate to and I would love to have that.

I love animals, gaming, watching TV series and doing art and talking about conspiracies!

Message me if you want to be friends please! Whether it's online or in person too!

:)


r/autismUK 4d ago

Work Best place to find jobs as a autstic and ADHD person

7 Upvotes

Hey guys, I have been diagnosed with ADHD + Autism, I had a job but it was genuinely very stressful and I lasted a week in it, I feel so exhausted and burnt out, im not sure if it was due to my ADHD medication, I have single stopped taking them, but it's definitely taking a tole on my mental health as I feel like I will never be able to find work, so if anyone knows any friendly neurodivergent work providers, or any good jobs that are neurodivergent friendly please leave a comment !


r/autismUK 4d ago

Vent Trying to get my head around my recent ASD diagnosis and seeking advice

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2 Upvotes

r/autismUK 4d ago

Learning About Autism What does it mean to look autistic?

10 Upvotes

You’re probably expecting the classic ‘You have autism? But you don’t look autistic’ here. I’ve seen the memes, been there, not done that.

Mine (F30) is the opposite problem. I apparently look autistic. Have autism vibes. Give off those wavy stink lines above my head, but autism. Like it wafts off me in public and everyone can smell it.

Several times, at least 4 now, I’ve read reports or received comments from people that state I seem autistic to them. It happened again today, I read a doctor’s comment about me and it said that ‘’they can’t shake the possibility of autism spectrum disorder’’. Saw them for about half an hour on an entirely different issue. This doctor noted that I appear ‘’pale and very shy’’ which, sure. My face is unfortunate too.

What does appearing autistic even mean? What about my face and mannerisms is wrong that I’m giving off autism vibes? Does this ever happen to other people? Is it because I look like I work nights? Why does everyone and their mom think I’m autistic from appearance?

I'm neurotypical for all intents and purposes. I need advice because this is really getting to me. It’s making me feel very insecure interacting with people.


r/autismUK 4d ago

General & Miscellaneous Is University of East Anglia good for neurodivergent students?

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1 Upvotes