A DALGETY BAY veterinary nurse who was diagnosed with autism at 45 graduated last week.

Nikki McLeod received her 2:1 bachelor's degree in Veterinary Nursing from Edinburgh's Napier University last Thursday at a ceremony at Usher Hall in Edinburgh, just 10 days before her 50th birthday and almost five years after she was diagnosed with autism.

She told the Press: "I'd never been to university before because I was told at school I wasn't clever enough to go."

Instead, she got her Registered Veterinary Nurse badge and got to work, 22 years ago. It wasn't until taking a break from her career did she decide to go to school, armed with the support of Edinburgh Napier, who allowed her to take her course over four years and provided help through the Napier Disability Service.

Not being diagnosed until her mid-40s, Nikki fought hard for her diagnosis. She said: "I ended up through our first son being diagnosed with autism, realising that I probably had it myself.

"I went through the process and eventually got diagnosed at 45."

She was able to see parallels between the things her son did, the behaviours listed on the tests and things that she noticed she did and felt. She pushed and advocated for herself and despite doctors not believing her at first, she received her validation eventually in the form of her diagnosis.

"When I was growing up, I was very quiet and kept myself to myself, very unsociable and that has pretty much continued throughout the rest of my life. Whereas my son, who is very outgoing, still struggles in social circumstances.

"His issues were very apparent from three- or four-years-old and when the school started to see the issues and put him through the autism diagnosis process, which took a number of years, it was interesting to go through the appointments and questionnaires that pretty much every thing they were saying, I was going, 'Oh I used to do that, I used to do these things and I struggled with that kind of thing'.

"I spoke to my own doctor about it and decided that it would be nice, just for my own peace of mind, to go through the process myself.

"Interestingly enough, when they eventually put me through the process, they said, 'No we don't think you are because you cope too well with things' and I thought, 'Yeah because you kind of have to!'"

Nikki advocated for herself, doing her own research and letting her doctor know that autism often presents differently in women, who mask more, meaning they appear like those around them by copying and practising certain behaviours. It was only then that she was diagnosed.

Deciding to go back to get her top-up degree after taking a break from her nursing career to pursue photography, winning the Meghan Ambrozevich-Blair Prize for her work at university and being a mum to two sons, Jack, 18 and Logan, eight, Nikki has done herself and her family proud.

She continued: "They're all obviously all really proud of me, it was a bit weird for me because all the students were half my age but if nothing else, it just shows you that age doesn't hold any boundaries at all when it comes to learning!

"Everybody at my work are just like, 'It's amazing that you can do all this, with a family, with a house and still study'. That's a typical autistic thing, once you get your teeth into something you really grab hold and you just keep going with it!"

Nikki works at Albavet in Dunfermline and she is incredibly thankful to her team and her family, especially her husband, Graham, for the support that they have given her throughout her studies.

"Between him and my parents, looking after the kids, they've been my biggest supporters in getting through this so it is all thanks to them as well. They put up with a lot!"