Newly Diagnosed with Autism - Now What?
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Approximately 4 minutes to listen.
Welcome to my 4 part series on navigating a new Autism diagnosis! If I’m being honest, this started as ONE blog post but became so much information that I’ll be splitting it up over the next couple of weeks. I’ll talk about finding your support circle, things to consider when choosing different services, & navigating your insurance benefits & the cost of services.
If your child has recently been diagnosed with Autism, it’s not uncommon to feel a range of different emotions. There may be some overwhelm, relief in receiving the diagnosis and having additional access to support or understanding, sadness, joy, stress, and more!
More times than not, I’ve heard parents and caregivers describe those first few months as overwhelming. Everyone has an opinion about what you should OR shouldn’t do. Some might even have an opinion of whether your child actually has Autism or not. SIGH!
If you read no other part of this article, READ THIS: As you navigate raising a child, do what feels right for you and your family! If you try something and it’s not a good fit, that’s okay. But again, do what feels right for YOU and YOUR family.
Alright, but what is Autism?
There is a ton of information out on the internet about Autism so I’m not going to go into that here. Let’s summarize to say that people with Autism experience differences in how they communicate and engage in the world. No two people with Autism are exactly alike!
There are a lot of myths out there about people with Autism, too. So be mindful of what you read. As I say to all my client’s parents, if you read something and you’re questioning it, send me an e-mail and I can tell you what I know or what I’ve experienced in my 15+ years of working with people with Autism.
Find your support circle
First thing I recommend when your child gets an Autism diagnosis: Find your humans!
It’s true that raising a child with special needs brings on different challenges than raising children that are neurotypical. That’s why it’s so important to find people that can relate to this unique experience and support you in a way that parents of neurotypical children may not be able to provide support. Here’s how you might be able to do that:
Join a local special needs facebook group
In Austin, there’s a Greater Austin Area - Autism Society Facebook Group.Attend a local meetup or support group of parents of kids with Autism, through organizations like Autism Society of Texas and Vela Families. Each of these organizations offer virtual options for support groups!
Follow special needs parents on social media - examples might include Finding Cooper’s Voice or Moms Talk Autism (they also have a podcast!). If this will overwhelm you, create a special account where you follow these types of accounts that is separate from your personal account. Know that each person’s experience with Autism is totally unique, so these folks might have experiences that are different from you. Take what works for you and leave what doesn’t.
Once you’ve found your people, they might be able to tell you about some things that have worked for them and others that haven’t. As I said, remember that each person’s experience is really unique.
Drop a comment below if you have additional questions! Otherwise, I’ll be back next week to talk about different therapy options.
