Your child is capable of doing things other people will tell you they can't. When you accept the diagnosis as a challenge to overcome your child will thrive.
Believe in your child and accept them the way they are.
Learn to see how special your child is and their gifts. Stop focusing on the diagnosis.
When your child receives the diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder, it can knock the wind out of you. You have to come to grips with the fact that your child may no longer be considered perfect or even healthy. Some parents may go through the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. This is likely due to the fact that your child isn't what you expected. We get caught up in how our child will be perceived and the notion that you caused the condition.
There's no right or wrong way to deal with the news of the diagnosis. It's ok to have the mixture of emotions, it more than likely is normal. However, my hope is that you will not hold on to those feelings too long.
I believe that in order to accept the diagnosis you have to get over your feelings of grief and your fear of autism. Do your research and learn about the spectrum. Do not get discouraged by the negative information and get overwhelmed by what it appears others can't do. Get busy getting your child help to ensure your child can do anything.
Don't forget, there were a number of things you couldn't do as a child until you tried and learned how. Tying your shoes and riding a bike were tough but you learned how to do it.
Learn to see how special your child is and their gifts. Stop focusing on the diagnosis. I am confident that when you get over your emotional barriers and feelings about your child's challenges you will accept your challenge of being an amazing parent of a child on the autism spectrum.
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