I wanted to share this here because not everyone follows me on IG. I was answering a follower question and found myself really struggling to get through it. I spent almost 45 minutes trying to get this right.
The question was “My 4 year old was just diagnosed and I’m so scared. What am I supposed to do?”
I think so many of us can relate to this question and I think it hit me harder because I remember exactly what this felt. Anyway, I hope this helps.
My response to knowledge is that it’s a good thing to have. Finding out a child is autistic means that they will have the tools to learn to live with autism. My oldest wasn’t diagnosed until he had flunked his first year of college! I wasn’t diagnosed until it didn’t matter, as I had found a way to work with it. (Although I didn’t know “it” was autism, just that I never fit in.)
When I was going to college experts were just barely beginning to realize that autism didn’t mean your child was going to end up institutionalized. Now, we know there are many, many people with autism. There is help if you know what the problem is. An autism diagnosis means: tools to deal, both for parents and child.
Anyway, to the unknown parent I want to say: it is going to be all right.