Congratulations, Your Child Has Autism...

In talking to other parents, I am still completely amazed just how many receive an ASD diagnosis only to be ushered out the door with no information on "what" to do or "where" to go from there. Most doctors will take the time to ask you if you have any questions, and would seem to be more than happy to answer them for you. But really... who thinks of the important questions when they've just been there child has autism. One parent I know put it this way: "Congratulations, your child has autism. Have a nice day." Most doctors we've heard about don't even offer to explain what autism is, it's like they just expect that the parent already knows what it is. To have some idea of what they are to do next. I have made up a card for anyone I come across who asks what autism is:

Once the diagnosis has been made the first thing we do as parents, once we've had a chance to "digest" and reflect on what we've been told, is to go on a fact finding mission. We search the library, the internet - anywhere we can to find answers. Then we begin the search to figure out what autism is, what can we expect with it, where we can go to get services that will help our kiddos. I can't believe some of the stories I've heard from people who have not been directed to someone who can help. So... once you've researched enough (for the time being) I recommend talking with you personal pediatrician / doctor. Ask about the services (s)he knows about - they generally have an idea of services or who to speak with to find services. Next talk to your local school district, ask for the special education specialist or coordinator. They should be able to guide you.

A few resources I have found invaluable are:   

http://www.autismsource.org/      http://www.autismspeaks.org/     http://www.autism-society.org/     http://autism.about.com/     http://www.autism.com/

These are certainly not all resources, but I've found these in particular to be really good ones. The Mayo Clinic, the NIH and UC Davis are constantly updating information on autism spectrum disorders. They are putting out articles all the time on information they are learning.

I have also created a facebook page called Autism Parents - USA      http://www.facebook.com/AutismParentsUsa      in hopes of sharing information. It's still in it's beginning stages, so I am still looking for input from other parents also. My hope is that it will be a place for us learn new things or remind us of old things.

Remember, all of us with children on the spectrum are not alone, we just need to communicate with each other. Our biggest resource is other families going through the same thing. We are a big family joined by a diagnosis of autism.

From a mother's heart - share your experience with others.