Advice for new parents

What advice would you give parents of newly diagnosed children?

S-Ish - I feel parents have to go through their own journey in order to gain an understanding of their kid’s autism and how the family has to work around it. But be involved with your kid. Put in the hard work, time and effort. If you have the chance to work with other autistic kids, it would enhance your understanding of autism. So take up such opportunities. Seek community support. It has been very helpful for us. I would also advise them to reach out to parents who are encouraging especially in the beginning stages as they give hope. Start as early as possible. Therapy is the best thing to do, but do some research as well as to what would work for the child and the family. According to me, the most important thing of all is to take support from wherever and whenever possible.

HM - Start with ABA. There is no cure to Autism, but it is manageable. So have hope in that and continue to work. Don’t waste time and money on offerings/ astrology/ priests etc., while you are still figuring out Autism.

SS - Be strong and give all your attention to your kids while they are growing up. Don’t wait for a miracle to happen, it is not going to happen. Instead, work with your kid.

SG - I know and understand that it will be very difficult to accept in the first because of the various expectations we formed as we were giving birth to the child, but eventually accept it with confidence. End of the day, this is still our kid. Be consistent with your effort and go ahead. Don’t think like there is no life forward or nothing can be done. There will be positive sides, so try and look at them. With our kids, even little things make a lot of difference. Enjoy them! Also, do not just aim to put them in a normal school. Think through your decisions and think from the child’s perspective as well. Do what would be best for the child. Our children’s needs are different.