Sophie Longley Msc., PGDip

I’m an autistic coaching practitioner, mentor and autism researcher working with late-diagnosed autistic adults through post-diagnostic exploration and growth.

Nobody warns us that after getting our diagnostic report, we have to re-enter life, jobs, studies, and relationships, with this new knowledge. It’s like being handed a user manual for yourself in a language you’re still learning!

So what happens after an autism diagnosis?

My research found that later-in-life autism diagnosis involves a long period of in-betweenness, grief and relief at the same time, lasting years. I call this “grelief”: mourning a misunderstood past while feeling relief at finally understanding.

This in-between state isn’t a phase. It’s an ongoing process of rebuilding identity. You rethink your past, patterns, and who you are beneath decades of coping. It’s uncomfortable as hell, but can lead somewhere genuinely interesting if you’re curious.

I support clients to:

• Work with uncertainty in everyday life, using it as fuel for growth
• Define and integrate your post-diagnostic identity
• Identify, recognise, and communicate strengths
• Make values-led decisions
• Navigate life transitions post-diagnosis (careers, friendships, relationships, disclosure)
• Develop boundaries that reflect values, energy, and identity
• Practice self-advocacy in ways that feel authentic and aligned
• Explore unmasking as a choice, deciding when, where, and how authenticity is safe
• Integrate coping strategies that support self-trust and meaning
• Psychoeducation on autistic characteristics and what terms from your diagnostic report actually mean
• Perspective drawn from lived experience

📩 sophie@autisticallyuntangled.com
🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ LGBTQ+ affirming