Disclosure: Talking to Your Child About Autism

​Have you had "the talk" with your child? I am referring to a discussion about your child having Autism 😉. Many Autism parents like myself begin to contemplate having "the talk" as our children enter the mid years of elementary school. Others wait until adolescence or young adulthood. Let's briefly discuss the pros and cons...
Pros:
Disclosing to your child can be empowering for them. It can help them make sense of their known strengths and challenges. Disclosure can also support your parent/child relationship. Many individuals diagnosed with Autism as adults report feeling resentful towards their parents initially because their parents did not address the issue early on.

Cons:
Disclosure could initially evoke feelings of fear, anger or sadness. Also, older children could begin to use the diagnosis as an excuse for certain behaviors.

Tips: 

• Begin when your child is young by having a family discussion about everyone's strengths and challenges. This will create a healthy and accepting atmosphere to add Autism to the discussion as your child gets older. 
• Involve a trusted professional to assist you in disclosing an Autism diagnosis to your child. Your child's speech pathologist, behavioral therapist or psychologist/psychiatrist would be a great person to team with since your child is likely already familiar and comfortable with them.
• Use books to assist in the disclosure discussion. Here are a few:                                     ​~The Survival Guide for Kids with Autism Spectrum Disorders (And Their Parents) by Elizabeth Verdick                                                                                                                                ~The Asperkid's (Secret) Book of Social Rules by Jennifer Cook O'Toole

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As you already know, each child with Autism is an awesome individual, to say the least. That being said, what works for one child or family may not work for yours. As you contemplate talking to your child about Autism, be encouraged! Trust your gut and make the decisions that work best for your child/family.  Remember that clinicians and fellow Autism parents like myself are here to assist. Feel free to reach out for more information...

References: Indiana Resource Center for Autism (www.iidc.indiana.edu)

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