First, let it settle
A diagnosis can bring relief and grief at the same time: relief at an explanation, grief for the years without one. Both are common. There is no deadline on deciding what to do next.
ADHD medication, and titration
Not everyone with ADHD chooses medication, and it is not the only treatment the guidance describes. For many adults and children, though, it is the one with the biggest effect. There are stimulant and non-stimulant options. Starting one is called titration: the specialist service begins on a low dose and adjusts it over several weeks, checking the effect and side effects and monitoring blood pressure, pulse and weight. Titration is done by the specialist service, not the GP.
Once a dose is stable, the specialist usually asks your GP practice to take over routine prescribing under a shared care agreement, while the specialist stays responsible for reviews.
Shared care
Shared care is an agreement between the specialist and your GP practice. Practices can decline it, and some do, particularly after a private diagnosis and sometimes after a diagnosis through a provider chosen under Right to Choose. If a practice declines, the specialist service keeps prescribing (which, with a private provider, means continuing to pay) or you return to the NHS pathway.
Ask about shared care before you start medication, not after. Ask the provider what happens if your practice says no, and ask your practice what its policy is.
Supplies of some ADHD medicines in the UK have been disrupted in recent years. If a pharmacy cannot fill a prescription, ask the prescriber about alternatives early rather than running out.
After an autism diagnosis
There is no medication for autism itself. What helps is understanding: how you process sensory information, what drains you and what restores you, which environments work. Post-diagnostic support varies by area. Some services offer courses or peer groups, and charities such as the National Autistic Society publish guidance for newly diagnosed adults. Conditions that often sit alongside autism, such as anxiety, are treated in their own right.
At work
In England, Scotland and Wales the Equality Act 2010 requires employers to make reasonable adjustments for disabled workers, and both ADHD and autism can meet the Act’s definition of disability. A diagnosis is not legally required to ask for adjustments, but it makes the conversation much easier. Northern Ireland has similar duties under its own disability discrimination law.
Adjustments are usually small and specific: instructions in writing, a quieter desk, flexible start times, noise-cancelling headphones, regular short check-ins, extra time for certain tasks.
Access to Work is a government scheme that can pay for equipment, coaching, travel or a support worker. You apply yourself, you do not need a diagnosis to apply, and it is separate from anything your employer does.
In study
Universities and colleges have disability or student support services that arrange adjustments: extra time in exams, lecture recordings, deadline flexibility. For higher education in the UK, Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) can fund equipment, software and specialist support, and it does not depend on household income. For school-age children, the parents and carers guide covers SEN support and education plans.
Telling people
Who you tell is your choice. The report is yours, and you decide who sees it. Some people tell everyone; some tell a manager and nobody else. There is no right answer, only the one that works for you.
If you didn’t get a diagnosis
Ask what the clinician thinks does explain the difficulties, and what help exists for that. Support for anxiety, sleep, organisation and sensory overload exists without a label. If you believe the assessment missed something, you can ask your GP about a second opinion, and it is worth saying clearly what you think was missed and why.
Medication, adjustments, understanding: most people end up with some mix of the three. None of it has to happen on the day the report arrives.