The thought of explaining to your child about their autism diagnosis can be a stressing one. It might have taken you some time to come to terms with it yourself. Thoughts on the information overburden you perhaps experienced and worst case scenarios may flood your mind.
However, if your child is verbal or is diagnosed with ASD disorder they might be very much aware of their own differences from other children and have lots of questions for you.
The advantage of proactively Explaining Autism to a Child is that you are pre-empting any problems that may emerge from them hearing about it from someone else. Regardless of whether a school companion, relative or a professional working with your family, overhearing a conversation and reaching their own decisions could be extremely destructive. Better that you take the initiative and discuss their diagnosis when you feel you are both prepared.
Managing the discussion on your own terms additionally implies that you can concentrate firmly on your child’s strengths rather than perceived challenges, both from their own perspective and from others.
When to explain your child about their ASD diagnosis can be an extremely dubious choice. Age isn't generally an issue; a few children will be prepared to discuss about their autism much earlier than others. It’s considerably more about your child’s sense of self-awareness and understanding that they have differences that set them apart from other children they know. Putting a name to the distinction can be hugely positive for children and can help reinforce their individuality and self-confidence as opposed to undermining it.
Before proceeding on to what to explain them,it's essential to think first about when and where. A protected and comfortable environment, probably at home, is almost a given. Make a point to have a distraction free space to discuss both from things like televisions and game consoles, but also free from interruption from other individuals. If you have other children it may be a thought for you to time your discussion with them being out of the house.
Ensure your child isn’t worried or anxious, either about the topic or something different that’s happened that day. If they are, have a break and utilize the time to do something fun together then try again. If you have to, it is beneficial to postpone entirely until your child’s less anxious.
Always emphasize your child’s strengths. Everybody, with or without autism, faces difficulties. Be specific and have examples of their specific qualities and challenges ready. If your child has questions, you should have answers. Be prepared. You have probably already done your homework, but ensure that you can explain things to your child in a way that they can understand. Avoid technical or clinical language, unless they request for it.
Take your time before Explaining Autism to a Child. Discussing about their autism diagnosis won't be a one-time discussion and you don’t need to cover everything in one sitting. Take things gradually and, if you can’t respond a question straight away, find out the answer for next time.
While every child will grow at a different rate, a lag in reaching key childhood development milestones may be early warning signs of autism disorder. Here are typical childhood developmental milestones your child should be reaching according to their agchild development milestones age 3.
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