Blessings That Come With Raising a Child With Autism

Raising a child with autism brings unique challenges. Coping with sleepless nights, frequent visits to specialists, and working to build a support network around your child can obscure the brighter side of life with your child. But parents of children with autism can find joy in their child's unusual way of seeing the world, courage in the community of families with autism and strength they never knew they had.

  1. Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About . . .

    • Children with autism can sometimes focus on a subject with unusual intensity. Combined with the difficulties they have with social interaction, children with autism can develop almost encyclopedic knowledge about their pet interests. Favorite subjects can include machines, animals, or little-known historical or scientific facts. This passion for a particular subject can be the bridge to learning new skills, building their confidence, and connecting with your child. If your child loves elephants but struggles with talking to strangers, a trip to the zoo with an "assignment" to ask the zookeeper about the elephants living there will open up your child's world a little more.

    Tiger Mothers Have Nothing on Lioness Moms

    • Parents of children with autism are often fierce advocates for their children. Kathy Lette, a novelist and ambassador for The National Autism Society, describes feeling "an overwhelming lioness type love. It was my job to stop him from tumbling through a hole in the world, like Alice." Parents fight prejudice against those with developmental disorders, and parents work hard to change policies that prevent children with disabilities from getting the care they need. When you join an autism support or advocacy group, you will see inspiring examples of parents who are changing the world not just for their child, but also for all children with special needs. These parents offer advice and encouragement to others on the same journey.

    Purposeful Parenting

    • Because children with autism can have trouble learning social skills, it is important that parents carefully plan the lessons on social interaction. Planning to teach social skills is the perfect time to question exactly what you want your child to learn and why. And even if you don't ask these questions -- your child might, which opens the way to thought and discussion on the importance of good manners and the origin of family or cultural customs.

    Finding the Best in Yourself

    • Having a child with autism requires you to think "outside the box." You may need unusual strategies to get your child to perform ordinary tasks or get the help your child needs from schools or community organizations. A diagnosis of autism may be a family's first experience with the difficulties that people who have disabilities face. Challenging biased assumptions about your child may prompt you to question bias in society as a whole. You will discover strength, patience and creativity you never knew you had.

    2. Previous:

    Next:

    • How to Recycle Disposable Diapers
      Disposable diapers are a convenience for busy parents who do not have the time to clean and maintain cloth diapers. Unfortunately, they are also mostly made from materials that take a long time to degrade and fill the landfills. According to Canadian
    • Does my baby need a vitamin D supplement?
      It depends on whether you breast-feed your baby or how much vitamin D-fortified formula or cows milk your baby is drinking. Consider these guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics for vitamin D for babies: If youre breast-feeding or pa
    • PTA Officer Duties
      Different school districts expect PTA officers to perform different duties. But there are certain universal duties. A PTA position, whether it be president, vice president, secretary or treasurer, can be a time-consuming task. Its best to know before