Even after months or years of worry and concern, receiving a diagnosis of autism can feel overwhelming.

An ASD (autism spectrum disorder) diagnosis leaves a lot of unanswered questions and not much reprieve.

The following are feelings felt by many parents after receiving an ASD diagnosis for their child. You are not alone if you experience denial, grief, anger, and more before finally moving into acceptance.

Denial

Denial is a familiar feeling when facing a medical diagnosis. As humans, it is sometimes easier to deny it altogether. In some way, facing the diagnosis means that you need to accept that there could be something wrong with your child. This exact thought is too much to bear for some parents. 

Parents may blame the doctor, teacher, relative, or another person close to them. When in denial, a parent wants to believe that their child is perfectly normal.

Being in denial and burying your head in the sand will not help your child. The faster you accept that your child is autistic, the sooner you can look for solutions. Autism can not be cured by a magic pill and, if you continue to do nothing, their condition will not go away or improve.

There are several kinds of therapies and treatments for autistic children. Accepting the diagnosis is not the end of the road. But it is a clue to what your child needs to prosper into adulthood.

Grief & Anger

Grief is an acceptable response to autism. You may feel sad, angry, or a range of emotions in between because you’ve been told something is wrong with your child. 

Why is your child autistic? Why did this happen to you? What about the dreams you had for your child’s future? Why did God put this burden upon us?

You might be upset with yourself, the doctor, God, or jealous of parents who have neurotypical children. These are normal feelings to experience because you feel you have lost something. You are grieving the life you expected and are now facing a new reality – an unexpected reality.

In grief, you have every right to mourn.

But, you need to find your way out of it. You have not lost your child. You’ve lost the dream you expected to live. Even though the idea did not exist in this reality – for you to was real. Some people will understand, while others will not.

Find someone to confide your feelings in, even if you think they are ridiculous. Bottling up the feelings of grief will seep and affect other areas of your life. Releasing the disappointment, outrage, jealousy, or additional anger-related feelings will help you move forward.

The key is to get through the pain, sense of loss, and move towards acceptance. Try not to compare how things are wrong or different from expectations. Imagine new, positive futures for your child. How can you help them attain these futures?

An ASD diagnosis does not mean that there cannot be independent adulthood in the future. Their future may still include love, marriage, and kids – or any other scenario you’ve dreamed of.

Your child needs you, but most of all, your life will improve when you release these negative feelings.

Acceptance

Accepting your child’s autism spectrum diagnosis (ASD) is the second step towards treatment. You are still allowed to have hopes and dreams for your child. It is okay to:

• sit in guilt for a while – just don’t live there;
• stand up and be your child’s champion;
• advocate and navigate a path for your child;
• dream of a new future for you and your child; or
• dismiss people who believe you did something wrong.

Autism Spectrum Disorder is as it is named – a spectrum. Along with that, there is a spectrum of treatments. Scientists are discovering more about autism every day. We now know that there are various causes of autism, and there can never be a one-size-fits-all treatment plan. Recent studies have talked about many autistic children additionally suffering from underlying comorbid conditions including infections and environmental illness. Addressing these underlying issues can often provide positive gains for the child. 

Dr. Jodie A. Dashore struggled with her son’s autism diagnosis. She lost friends when she sought “alternative” treatments because she felt that it could not be the only medical issue with her son. Your child needs you and your support. You and your child do not need negative influences, making you doubt your decisions.

At BioNexus Health, we implore you to do your research on the history of autism and the new discoveries from modern studies. No one has all the answers. We help autistic children whose health issues revolve around environmental illnesses – mold, toxins, heavy metals, tick-borne disease, waterborne-diseases, and more. Our treatment plans are plant-based because the majority of patients require a gentle approach.