Hello

@skyraven02

I'm really sorry you were just left hanging like that.

Id advise you to look up supports in your area or ring your local doctors or hospital and ask for leaflets or booklets to be sent on to you.

It's about one day at a time fbd finding what works best for you and for your son 💜💕

@skyraven02

I'm glad you're here and that your son was able to get a diagnosis. It's a good start :) <3

Below are just suggestions and ideas.  cause everyone will find their own path to take. Sometimes the path feels unstable, but that's life and that's okay.

Like Amanda above said, one day at a time. I can understand how it can feel like you just walked out the door and there's a whole new space to navigate. I felt this way right after my own diagnosis.

I suggest you try to find some places that can give you and/or your family psychoeducation (psychological education) on Autism.
That can help you understand/explain the inner workings of Autism a bit. The "technical" part.

But of course, that's just that, the technical part doctors decided to agreed on and write it in a big book.
Maybe it helps to pick some parts of life apart, like categories. You could learn those from the education. That helps to understand where struggles arise and give more insight.

Support groups/places, healthcare providers, online information (make sure they are good sources!) will help you.

I don't know how old your son is, but there might be places local to you or online where other Autistic people (or parents) meet and share stories as well.

Good luck to you and your son. Give him lots of support and motivation. We're here to provide some as well :D <3

There is an autistic youtube on Youtube who makes cideos on autism awareness and advocate for autistic people: Kaelynn Partlow. She talks about autistic people in her videos and talk about the extreme bahviors, issues with having autism, and encouraging others to be more compassionate with people who are on the spectrum. She may be autistic herself but she can still communicate and have a functioning life. She also talk about the not-so-glamorous side of autism that other autistic people who are further in the spectrum are experiencing/behaving.

@skyraven02 As someone who works with children with ASD, I’d say the next step is to reach out to an Applied Behvaior Analysis Clinic or BCBA within a clinic to give them an analysis. Once that is done they will help you and your family with all the programs and treatment options to help him lead a happy, healthy, and safe life.

@skyraven02 I’m really glad you finally have answers, but I’m sorry you weren’t given any guidance on what to do next. That can feel overwhelming. Based on my experience working with children on the spectrum, the best next step is to reach out to an Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) clinic or a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). They can complete a more detailed assessment and help create a plan tailored to your son’s needs.

I've been there too. I'm assuming they didn't know your son's specific needs so they weren't are what to tell you. He could just need therapy and Zoloft, he could need homeschooling, he could need nothing else but reassurance and routine every other day. It all depends.

The official diagnosis comes with some benefits though. Mentally he can be more forgiving on himself for his short comings and doesn't have to spend however many years thinking he's bad at humaning and not trying hard enough; now his best can be enough. I don't know where you live, but I know in some countries there's some discounts on things like public transportation and museums if he gets a disability card. If he has a social phobia, he can even be first in line to experience certain attractions so he doesn't have to interact with others. If socializing and working is a REALLY big problem with him to the point where he can't get a livable wage job, he can social security and a affordable housing plan too, but that's only if he needs it. I'm projecting some of my needs tbh but I hope that information helped 😅

I didn't know I was autistic until my mid twenties, but I was already doing all the things I needed to do to help myself, like therapy, taking anxiety meds, and taking to other people who understand what I'm going through cause I keep I needed help regaurdless. I hope youll get there too. I'm sorry they left you to the lions, I wish it wasn't like this.