We know how overwhelming everything seems right now. That feeling will come and go, and some days you will see giant leaps, and other days, setbacks. But it’s okay, and you will find your place in all of this.
Use our Autism By Age checklists as a guide for the issues you need to address, and contacts you should make, not only for services, but for support as well. We always encourage families to join a local support group or network, as we feel the best information you will ever get is from other parents. Find a local support group here.
We have an article describes the autism experience using everyday examples. This might be helpful to share with family members, friends, or anyone who works with your child. There is also a book that we think is helpful in understanding what our children are experiencing called “Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew” by Ellen Notbohm.
Read “Advice from a Parent” for one’s mom’s perspective on where to go from here.
Autism Speaks offers their 100 Day Kit created specifically for newly diagnosed families. You can download it free of charge.
We also have additional articles on our website for newly diagnosed families. And there are our Parent Tip articles also.
There are many therapies that are available. Typically, therapies are designed to address difficulties in communication, social skills, and sensory issues. In addition, therapies attempt to mitigate aggressive, self-injurious, or repetitive behaviors such as rocking and hand flapping. For a description of the different types of therapies, please visit comprehensive therapies page.
A Parent’s Guide to Evidence-based Practice and Autism from the National Autism Center discusses the complexity of diagnostic evaluations for children on the autism spectrum, identifies and describes effective treatments, and outlines the importance of professional judgment and using data to guide treatment decisions. Other topics include the role of family preferences and values in the decision-making process, and how best to determine if a professional or organization has the capacity to provide evidence-based practice for a child with autism.
You have TIME, so please do not feel that you need to read everything right away. This is a journey, so just focus on your priorities that are relevant now, as those will change over time.