when you thought something might be going on with your child? Did people understand for the most part? I am just wondering how my mother in law and certain other people would react to certain diagnosis. I really thought about who to tell but since it was the one and only thing
on my brain everyone and the mailman knows. Most people were really
much more ope and calm about it than I thought. They still treated my ds
the same (something I had worried about). I think it was hardest for my
mom because it made her rethink so many things in her life. Most
importantly she came to the conclusion that my dad is AS and it
explained so much to her (and me).
When I told my neighbor about my son's diagnosis and said 'What am I
going to do', she said 'You just love him'. The basic - I keep coming back
to that.
At some point (especially as the parent of a special needs kid) you can not
worry anymore about what people will think or say. You have to speak
your heart and stand behind your child. That is all you can do.
We just got the dx of Autism for my 2 yr old dd. We have told close friends and family. Its hard bc close fam who have been around her any length of time see she is different from other kids and they get it. But telling people who arent close doesnt make sense right now bc they dont understand. They think she looks perfectly normal and many dont even fully understand what Autism actually is. But I definitely told family every step of the way what we were concerned about with her and when we got the dx. (Im close to my fam). I just think its important for them to know that this isn't something she will "get over" or grow out of. We just have to learn how she operates and hey, I can use all the support I can get right now!
I told my parents almost immedately - they were very accepting and alonf the lines of he will be fine ( he is fine )
My MIL went into deep depression as she has a special needs child herself ( seizures and MR )
Oh I hate the "He'll grow out of it" remarks. Or he'll pull out of it eventually. My family wasn't very accepting of B's diagnosis at first. My dad was in denial until B turned 4 and still wasn't talking. All my mom said was, "I knew there was a reason I loved him more." That was an interesting comment...didn't know how to take it at the time. Turns out my boy is her "favorite" and all the other grandkids kinda felt jealous when he came along. I didn't know this at the time.I kept my family (parents, sibs) and close friends in the loop all along. Everyone knew we were worried about C's speech when he was 2. Everyone knew we were taking him for an evalution at the university. Everyone got to read the report when we got it. I've found everyone to be incredibly supportive. My family also knows that I'm a pretty level headed person and not one to freak out over nothing or worry unnecessarily about things, so no one really questioned whether my concern was justified. I have a great family!
I told my closest family and friends, with no negative consequences, but I don't think anyone can truly understand the impact of the diagnosis unless they've had a similar experience themselves.
For everyone else, I told on a need to know basis, especially when the diagnosis was fresh and I was still learning about it and dealing with it emotionally.
Good luck with everything.