Finding Hope and Courage in your Child’s Diagnosis

Believe me I get it....

You are scared of what the future holds. That's exactly what I felt when the doctor sat in front of me and said the word, “Autism” and not willing to give me any solid answers on prognosis and what my child will be able to do in life. All I needed in that moment an ounce of hope.

Maybe your child’s specialist could not do that for you when you received a diagnosis for your child, but I’m here to tell you it really is all going to be ok. I am also going to be brutally honest with you and am going to tell you ALL of the things I wish someone had told me when I first heard that my son was diagnosed with Autism.

I will warn you that I am going to tell you some tough stuff and will be painfully honest on what you may experience after receiving that diagnosis. I don't tell you this to kick you while you're already down but because I don't want you to feel an ounce of guilt over any of the feelings you may experience. But along with the tough stuff, I am going to tell you how my son's diagnosis has changed me and my view on life and how I choose to live it as the best possible version of me. I will break down the hard things first because unfortunately, that’s what you’re really going to experience at the beginning. The good stuff is always there but the reality is that you may be too overwhelmed to be able to see that yet. Again, this is soooo “Normal” and I seriously hate that word.

Please know there is no right or wrong way on how to do this. I hope you can take some comfort in that. You are stronger than you feel in this moment and I'm here to keep reminding you of that.