Am I the Parent of A Child With Autism?
Are you a parent that is asking yourself that regularly? If so you may be feeling a range of emotions from anxiety, to fear for your child, sadness, and anger. I know I did.
The last thing you need is frustration at the lack services available to get an evaluation and diagnosis. This is a time that should be used to help your child make progress in their development. Instead your spending time and energy trying to figure out what to do and where to go next.
There are many things that are difficult for parents of children with autism. One of the most frustrating, and avoidable, thing happens even before diagnosis.
Parents Wait Time for Diagnosis is Ridiculous
The average wait time in the United States for diagnosis is anywhere from 3 and a half years to 5 years*.  That is too long just to be doing nothing! I know I waited because I didn’t know any better. I am here to make sure that you do!  We started with speech therapy and expected that once we got the diagnosis the full-blown therapy would start. After that, of course, there would be little to worry about, makes sense right?
Little did I know that in reality that wasn’t going to happen. The resources are slim here and probably in your area too but no one tells you that. In the almost four years since diagnosis, they have improved some but not significantly enough to keep up with the rising demand for treatment and many types of treatment just aren’t available.
My mistake was thinking that the diagnosis was the key that would unlock the answer to the problem and that the therapy provided would be adequate to fulfill my child’s needs.  That is not the case and it won’t be the case for you either very likely. It will help, but you don’t have to wait, you should begin working with your child now.
Unlike what I learned in graduate school, I was my child’s best chance of success!  You are your child’s best path to success also. The environment that parents provide, the nurturing and patience even when you don’t understand what is going on, is critical. Advocating for your child is critical. Yes, a good therapist will help, however, a bad therapist can be worse than no therapy!
Check out our post on early diagnosis here.
Parent Misconceptions
Parents of children who have autism don’t have a manual to give them guidance. No parents have an actual manual but there is a lot of information out there for children who are developing typically, that gives there parents advice to help their child in a way that consistently works.  Since children with autism are unique in their development and their individual sensory issues there is no one way works for all children with autism.
For parents of children with autism if they did have a manual one thing it would tell them is that children with autism do not get upset for no reason! There is a real issue behind your child’s behaviors. It is your job to figure out the issue and resolve it.  If you need help figuring out where to start, sign up Here to be notified when our next course open’s for enrollment. This course is especially for parents of children who are concerned their children may have autism or are think they do and want to get started right away working with their child.
Why We Do, What We Do? We are Parents too!
It is a combination of all of these things that made me decide to finally get out there and provide some assistance for other families who are struggling like I was while waiting to get a diagnosis. I was so frustrated that I had the background, education, and knowledge but still felt like I was failing my child. I don’t want anyone else to feel like that! Ever! Period!
So I founded Autism Beautiful to help parents who are struggling.  Whether it is while waiting for a diagnosis or after diagnosis. If you need help with sensory issues or have concerns that you don’t know how to deal with. Some parents need a hand to make sure they are on the right track. Whichever is the case or if you have another issue like dealing with the school and IEP’s.  Maybe you just need to be heard.
Autism Beautiful about supporting parents of children with autism. We understand the concerns, the frustrations, the fear and the unending hope that gets us through everything. We are parent’s of a child with autism also.
If the diagnosis is autism, your child is still the same child you have always known. Yes, they will have issues to deal with but doesn’t everyone? Love your child well, unconditionally and make sure they know that. That is the best thing you can do to start!
Have a Beautiful Day!
Jodi
We are here to help parents bridge that gap by providing information, education and coaching/ consultation for parents. We also provide consulting and training for schools, daycares, and other businesses on how to better serve our children.
Sign up for our free ebook 5 Things You Need to do if You Suspect Autism and we will send you helpful tips and let you know when our next course is open for enrollment.
*According to the National Institute of Health, September of 2017.
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