Being a Parent of a Child Diagnosed with Autism

Being a Parent of a Child Diagnosed with Autism

“All children are special some have special needs”. For twenty-two plus years this has been my

mantra. I am both a therapist and a mother of a child with special needs.

Some of the most basic things I have learned over the past twenty-years:

A.) Don’t ever put a cap on what you think your child will achieve, each child on the spectrum

may posses similar characteristics but they are individuals that should not grouped as a single

population.

B.) Only look at their development six months at a time. Don’t be discouraged if they owned a

skill and loose it, it usually comes back. The brain is a wonderous muscle we don’t know

everything about.

C.) Try to make them the lowest functioning in a group not the highest.

D.) Surround yourself with other special needs parents who have older children. They are the

best resource to have in your back pocket.

E.) Use your intuition when making choices/placements for your child. Ultimately, you know your

child best.

F.) Early intervention is very important and should be a priority. Getting the skill set needed to

increase any deficits is easier at a younger age.

G.) Know there will never be a perfect school or camp and you will need to accept that and

compromise along the journey.

H.) Always have a plan B in place. Don’t make decisions under extreme stress. Always have an

action plan ready: if this school, camp, therapy does not work out be able to pivot

I.) Surround yourself with TEAM of experts for you as well as your child.

Raising children is an uphill climb with or without special needs. Those with special needs will

require extra patience, research and time. Make sure you prepare yourself emotionally and

physically for the needs they will have. Make sure you mark every milestone achieved as a

deposit in your emotional savings account. When things get rough, and they will, you will be

able to withdraw from this account and push forward.