"When I am able to be present, listening - really listening - to a viewpoint described through someone else's lens, I am here in the now and alive." - Tori Amos
If you read my previous post, I did say I was trying to summarise (not my strongest suit) into 4 sections. Where did it begin? Where am I now? Where am I heading? Where will I end up?
So tonight I'll write a few words around "where am I now?".
As it happens I'm sat on my sofa typing this before watching some Netflix as Maria is on nights . . . .🙂
Image used under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
“What’s occurring?” - Nessa
As regards my Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis journey - quite a lot has happened. I've been speaking with an advisor at Remploy for a few months. He's a great guy and is able to clearly explain the processes I am likely to go through. In the last half hour, I've submitted my pre-assessment questionnaire to Lexxic, a specialist neurodiversity company. This is part of the Occupational Health (OH) referral enabled by my employer, Dixons Carphone.
Even though it's a simple, clearly thought out form, I took almost 2 weeks to fill it in. This is because I reflected carefully on the answers I gave about myself. I want them to be honest and relevant. I also asked my wife, my wife's aunt and several trusted friends and colleagues for their perception of me. Putting all this together, as I clicked "Send" on the email with my completed form attached, I felt a sense of relief.
I'll keep you posted with what happens, as I get the feeling things will move quickly.
Without slipping (too much) into the next Post covering "Where am I heading?" - I'm often asked "What are you trying to achieve with a diagnosis, Chris?". I know everyone is unique - but for anyone else going through or wondering about going through this process . . . here are my answers
Validation - knowing that I'm not crazy, just different. My brain's wiring is different, not wrong
Understanding - What are barriers? What are opportunities? What must simply be viewed differently?
Empathy - Seeing the world through the other person's perspective and feeling their pain and/or sharing their joy
Enablement - Seeing what a person is truly capable of. Enabling progress through opportunity creation and being actively listened to
All the above points are 4-way. In other words, they are what I seek from others, what I wish others to seek in me, and what I wish others to seek in themselves and others
In just over a week since starting this blogging process, a lot has happened around the way I feel. It has reignited a flame - long since extinguished of hope and ambition.
I'm considering all sorts of things, writing a book, becoming a spokesperson for neurodiversity but I'm getting ahead of myself. The fact that I dare to dream again proves that speaking up and reaching out for help works.
"Just remember that reaching out for help is not weakness but a sign of the strength and courage you never knew you had" - Chris Sadler (me)