'My diagnosis of autism in my adult life was the making of me'

He’s referring to what he now knows to be some of his autistic traits. “For as long as I can remember, I’ve always had to have a plan and have been highly anxious. Whether it’s going to meetings, travelling to another JLR site – I have to be fully prepared. I must know everything in advance, from the route that I’m going to drive, to who I’m meeting and even where I will park. This preparation causes me anxiety still now.”

He described first working at JLR as an apprentice at Solihull and what he describes as working ‘bell to bell’ – shift work. Where your shift starts at a specific time and finishes at a specific time. Karl didn’t know he had autism then, but the regimented routine quite suited him. He recalls some challenges though, “Working shifts in manufacturing suited me, I knew exactly what time I’d start and finish, but if things happened outside of that plan, it could make me panic. For example, if my colleagues were asked to work over, I’d secretly be having a meltdown and panicking in case I was asked to – not because I didn’t want to, but because that wasn’t in my plan and planning was so important to me, but yet I couldn’t pinpoint why.” Karl said he thought all adults operated like this, super organised and that they got through life by sticking to a plan.

He attended a SHINE Dis(ability) Network conference in 2019 at JLR's Whitley site, there was a presentation on neurodiversity and heard someone speak about their experiences with autism and it was then that he said ‘the penny dropped’. He went home and told his wife Suzanne, who he has been married to for 20 years, that he thinks he could be autistic. She was not surprised, there were lots of tears, but the couple decided to keep this between them, because Karl was ‘coping’ despite not having a diagnosis.

But, things came to a head for the family when they were returning from a holiday to Cornwall with their two children. They were on the way home from the holiday and the route they were taking back in the car had to change, due to roadworks and long delays. Karl admits, “I got out of the car and had a meltdown – because we had to take a different route. I just got out the car and started walking. It was at this point, we told the kids about our suspicions of me being neurodivergent, after hiding it for some time.” Shortly afterwards, Karl suffered from an ‘autistic burnout’. This is where autistic people suffer from a state of intense mental and physical exhaustion that can occur when they are unable to meet the demands of a world designed for neurotypical people. 

It was then that Karl decided to go to his GP, he was told he would be waiting over two years to be assessed for autism with the NHS. Karl remembered though that he had always paid into JLR’s management healthcare scheme, a colleague had tipped him off that autism assessments had been added to the list of services available to those that pay in. He called them in May 2023 and by June 2023, Karl had been assessed, his family, including wife Suzanne had been interviewed as part of the assessment and he was formally diagnosed with autism. After returning from his burnout Karl also started his journey by using the screening service available from Lexxic, which was accessed through Occupational Health referral service at JLR and gave him some insight on key traits and his needs.

Karl says that even though deep down he knew, having it confirmed by a doctor really saddened him and he remembers crying for the whole day following the diagnosis. For the next four months, he struggled – believing he was ‘different’, he sought counselling and coaching, again accessed through JLR, which helped him come to terms with his diagnosis.

Karl started slowly opening up to people in work about his diagnosis – it allowed him to access support that he needed. He was given a fixed desk, which helped with some of his anxieties. Karl confessed: “I still convince myself I am OK in my own head sometimes – I have been here for so long but this is the first time I’ve asked for help. I get paranoid, do people even believe me? As time has gone on and colleagues have shown me so much support, I’ve grown in confidence. I am so open now about my own journey that it’s allowed me to support others.”

Karl became the Chair of the Neurodiversity Matters DE&I network at JLR, which is part of the wider SHINE Dis(ability) Network which has allowed him to raise the profile of neurodiversity and the needs of neurodivergents at JLR. Karl said: “Surviving for me has been tough, if my story can help a parent or a colleague then I’ve succeeded! My hopes for the future are that we go beyond raising awareness and create real change through actions. The world needs to culturally change to be more inclusive for neurodiverse people.”

Karl has just finished his first book which he’s written with a publisher called, ‘I am me, but who am I’. We'll continue following his journey with interest and look forward to his book being published in the new year.