As I have been starting my inquiry about autism I have been thinking about a lot of things. I have a few people in my own life that either have autism or have children that have autism. They all seem to have a great grasp and understanding of it now but it made me think about the moment that parents find out. I began to wonder what parents do when they find out their child has autism and how they can educate themselves on what this means for their child and their future parenting.
It sounds silly but I know when I have a question about something I Google it so when I started thinking about the moments after a parent finds out their child has autism, I thought what would I do? So I Googled "child with autism" and a few good websites that talk about what autism is and its symptoms.
I know fairly well what autism is and the different characteristics so I was more interested in finding out what a parent would expect in the way of the child's schooling, social life and overall quality of life. I found an interesting blog from the point of someone involved and connected in all of those aspects. The blog type article was a no nonsense view of a wide variety of things that a parent might go through. I really like this persons view because he starts with the negative things a parent might run into and the things that might worry a parent but then he kind of shows the light and gives an insight to how "coming out of the autism closet" and embracing autism is the best thing for the child and the parent. http://www.iol.co.za/lifestyle/family/parenting/thick-skin-needed-to-come-out-of-autism-closet-1.1272744
Amy,
ReplyDeleteI think this is a great topic to research. There is still so much we don't know about Autism and I think it is a good idea to stay on top of the research. Going back to the beginning of when a parent finds out their child has autism is a great place to start. Most of the people we are in contact with who have children with disabilities have already become accustomed to the disability but what was it like when they first found out. How did they feel? How did they cope? Is the result the same for every parent? I'm excited to see where you go with this.
You're off to a good start, Amy.
ReplyDeleteGood job discovering some existing blogs that address your topic--Google is your friend, and there is no shame in relying on it for your initial inquiries. I do it often.
I think there is a real disconnect in understanding between those who have firsthand experience with autism and those who have only read about it. It will be interesting to see an outside perspective on dealing with individuals on the spectrum and the accommodations they may need.
Gabe