You just got the diagnosis
You do not have to do anything today. Not one thing. The diagnosis did not change your child, it changed what you know about them, and there is a difference. I have sat where you are sitting three separate times and I can tell you the panic fades and the parenting stays.
If you only have energy for one thing right now, read the first article below and close the tab.
Articles & Guides
4Just Diagnosed and Scared? Start Here
A reassuring first read for the moment right after diagnosis.
When Others Do Not Support the Diagnosis
What to do when family or friends do not accept your child's diagnosis.
What Is Autism? The Basics
Plain language answers to the questions you're about to hear from doctors and schools.
Then and Now: When You First Hear Your Child Is Autistic
What that first moment felt like, and what I'd tell you about it now, years down the road.
Books
3
So Your Child Was Just Diagnosed with Autism
Rob Gorski
My book for the parent who just got the news. Everything on this page comes from it.
Written from twenty-five years of parenting autistic kids, not from theory.
From Struggle to Strength
AffiliateHarry Psaros
Harry's account of raising his son Gus, from the earliest signs onward. Another autism dad who went and wrote it down.
The Gift of the Unexpected
AffiliateJillian Benfield
Jillian's book on the life you did not plan for, and finding it worth having anyway. She was on the show.
Podcasts
2How Telehealth Is Changing Autism Evaluations
The Autism Dad Podcast, S8E01
Waitlists are brutal. Dr. Taylor Day on how remote evaluations are shortening the wait for a diagnosis.
Raising a Son With Down Syndrome
The Autism Dad Podcast, S6E29
Jillian Benfield on the diagnosis you did not expect. Not autism, and every bit of it lands the same.
Organizations
2Autism Society of America
One of the country's oldest autism organizations, with local chapters and a national helpline.
Autism Society of Greater Akron
Our local chapter. Family support, training, and community across Northeast Ohio.
The organization behind Aria's Angels, and one I work with directly.
Support Groups
1Special Needs Parenting Support Group
Our Facebook community where autism parents connect, ask questions, and find encouragement.
Every step here comes from So Your Child Was Just Diagnosed with Autism
This page is the book's living companion, kept current so the help you need is never out of date.
Learn about the book