Coping With The Diagnosis

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Hi readers!

Running this blog, I am often emailed questions, thoughts and responses. One of the most common of there is whether or not I believe that autism is growing.

Whilst, despite our incredible modern medicine, we do not know what causes autism, it is generally accepted that it is an inherited trait. This means that it is transferred from the parents via the maternal and paternal chromosomes to the foetus, forming their DNA (excuse the biology). Basically, it is passed down from the parents.

If a parent carries the gene for autism, and autism were to be, shall we say, a recessive trait (meaning that it takes both parents having the gene to pass it on to the child), autism should be uncommon. However, with more and more people carrying the supposed gene, it could also increase.

And that is the case. The number of American children who fall somewhere on the Autism Spectrum is 1 in 68. This represents a 10-fold increase in the last 40 years. This is partially due to better diagnosis and environmental factors, however there is no actual said reason.

And every single day many, many parents must hear that their child has autism. And I'm sure that from those I have talked to that it is difficult. These are the general stages that are thought by doctors to be the stages of coping with the diagnosis:

1. Shock: The reality of the diagnosis may be so overwhelming that you're not ready to accept it or you initially ignore it.

2. Grief: Many parents must mourn some of the hopes and dreams they held for their child before they can move on.

3. Anger: With time, your sadness may give way to anger.

4. Denial: You may go through periods of refusing to believe what is happening to your child.

5. Loneliness: Loneliness may come from the fact that in your new situation you simply don't feel you have the time to contact friends or family for company or that, if you did reach out, they wouldn't understand or be supportive.

6. Acceptance: It's helpful to distinguish between accepting that your child has been diagnosed with autism and accepting autism. Accepting the diagnosis simply means that you are ready to advocate for your child.

And finally, parents will adjust. They just won't know any different. I know that this is the case for my parents. Having a son with autism is just a part of life.

These stages may be a welcome introduction to many families as the ranks of autism grow. But you know what? This is actually a good thing. This better diagnosis means that autism will no longer go untreated. It means that we are living in a better, happier society.

Love,

E.

P.S. Next week's blog post will be answering YOUR questions, including some that have been emailed to me and some that I have been asked in person, so if you have a question, I would love to answer it. My email address can be found in the "ABOUT" section of this blog. Have a good week x

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