Here are some things we did early on that really helped our family.

1. Find a support group.
I can’t tell you how amazing it is to be able to talk to other families that understand your special circumstances. The friends you had before Autism may not understand what your family is going through. For me my friends did a good job trying to support me but didn’t understand why I was feeling the way I did at certain times. Also some of the behaviors of my child were definitely “different” from their children. It is scary to watch for people that don’t understand and while you can’t catch Autism some people act differently around you then they did before. No bad on them, they don’t mean to do it. I think it is part of human nature to be scared of what you don’t understand. This was one of the reasons that a support group was so special for us. The other benefit to finding a support group is there are other people that have already been there and done that. They can be a great resource as you decide what treatments you want to choose for your child. Ultimately you will decide what is best for your child but it is great to see what others have experienced. If you do not have a specific Autism support group in your area try and find a general special needs group. They get it too!

2. Learn about all of your treatment options. A great resource is the 100 day kit from Autism speaks here is a PDF of the kit. http://www.autismspeaks.org/docs/family_services_docs/100_day_kit.pdf
I will go into what we did and are doing in later blogs but learning what is out there is a great way to see what approach might work for your child.

3. Gather your team
In this fight you need help. Our team consists of her primary care physician, her neurologist, state early intervention services, developmental disabilities, an array of therapists including Speech, OT, ABA, RDI. Friends that have special needs kids, Friends without special needs kids (yes, talking to people about things other than autism is important too!) Finally, get your family on board. Grandparents mean well but often don’t understand what Autism is and it is hard for them to believe that their sweet grandchild is “different” I was really lucky and had parents and a Mother in Law that wanted to help in any way they could. They listened to what things we were doing with her and changed their behavior to meet our needs. A really good resource for Grandparents and other friends and family is a book called “Ten things every child with Autism wishes you knew” Written by Ellen Notbohm. They are some general things and tips that can help introduce your loved ones to this new world.

Please know in all this it’s ok to cry, it’s ok to be scared. You will probably feel overwhelmed at times but you CAN do it! You will find a way. You are strong and there are many people that can help you and support you along the way. You can make life for your family better. You can help your child. You have been chosen for a reason to care for your very special child. Be strong, your not alone!