The Diagnosis
My son’s autism diagnosis changed my life completely. I was shattered and overcome with grief when I found out that he will be different and I started questioning everything but after a considerable amount of time and shedding countless tears I came to terms with it, and I finally said to myself:
“Okay he is autistic, now what!”
That’s when our lives started to change for the better. It was very hard in the beginning years as I couldn’t understand my child at all. It was a constant struggle. That’s when I started to educate myself by reading research papers, studying numerous books on special needs and autism, and started using social media like Facebook and Whatsapp to interact with people going through a similar journey. I started attending lectures, workshops and seminars related to autism spectrum disorder. I accepted it like a challenge just like my MBA degree where we had compulsory and electives of strategic marketing, brand management and advertising but for this specialization I needed to study occupational therapy, Speech and communication therapy, PECS, sensory integration, applied behavior analysis, home schooling and special education.
Message to parents
My message is for all parents out there who are struggling or who recently got a special needs diagnosis be it autism, CP, GDD, apraxia, down syndrome, ADHD, dyslexia:
“There’s light at the end of the tunnel”
Empower yourselves as much as you can by doing certifications and courses on special needs and by attending conferences, webinars and talks by professionals and experienced parents. Join support groups and try to be with people who understand and respect your journey. It is a long process and being with the right people can make it easy and worthwhile. We still have our hard days but we are always hopeful for a better tomorrow. So, let us all begin each day with positivity and hope.
Love & Empathy,
Resilient Mum