Trevor O'Neill: ‘My autism diagnosis felt like a weight lifted off my shoulders’

Midleton-based Trevor O’Neill describes two key moments that led to him gaining a sense of purpose and of himself — and the confidence to see things through

Trevor O'Neill: 'I feel if I’d had the diagnosis earlier, I could have done some research and found out how to deal with situations better instead of trying to muddle my way through.' Picture: Larry Cummins

The moment that turned everything around for me was meeting Mary Jordan, a coordinator on the WorkAbility programme, which supports people who have social or mental disabilities, or who have been out of work a long time.

For the previous three or four years from my mid-20s, I’d essentially been running in circles. I’d left a job I had in a paintball arena because I wanted to start my own business, but I basically struggled to find a clear path to reach that goal.