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Struggling To Accept Daughter Likely Having Autism

4 replies

MuMmaOf3littles · 05/12/2021 19:46

So as the title suggests. My 27m old DD is showing many red flags for autism. She was referred back in July to something called iScan who are associated with children with additional needs. I was contacted Wednesday this week to be told "the ball would start rolling" for us now in January. I also had DD 27m review Thursday this week. A lady who has never met my daughter but pointed out very bluntly all the things she couldn't do and how a lot of things are the typical autism traits. Quite honestly it made me feel like absolute shit because I don't need to be told the things I'm already aware of in such a stern manner. So since the phone call and review I'm just going round and round in circles and honestly I'm struggling to get my head around everything and everything that is to come. My heart feels like it's breaking for my daughter. I can't sleep or switch off at all. My DP and DD Dad is trying to kid himself that everything is fine and our daughter is just going to suddenly wake up and be able to do everything. I'm trying to be realistic about it and I've tried to talk to him but he's just shut me down (which I get because it's a bloody tough subject). I don't want any backlash about him because he's an all round decent guy and a great Dad. But anyone who's been through this or going through it, how do I / we go forward? My daughter will have the absolute best life and will be treated no different but I need to be able to get my arae in gear to be able to give my all for her.

OP posts:
Lemongrass1 · 05/12/2021 21:15

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Lemongrass1 · 05/12/2021 21:16

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Hotpot33 · 06/12/2021 07:26

I've been in your position. Best thing I did was speak to autistic adults to understand what autism is and how best to parent an autistic child and to get rid of any misinformed ideas I had about what autism is.

Google is not your friend. It's totally misinformed. And neither are professionals who use phrases such as "on the spectrum" and "red flags".

You need to speak to autistic adults ASAP to get it right. You need to learn and open your mind that a different neurotype is not the end of the world, in fact its something that you can celebrate, with the right approach.

The idea that your daughter won't be treated any different needs to change too because she is different, she requires adaptations in her life to make her world more pleasant and tolerable. You need to get a good grasp of her needs and ensure that they are adhered to at all times.

Autism Inclusivity is a great group on fb. Ran by autistic adults who answer questions from parents like us about what our children are going through and how best to help them.

As for your DP and her DD, it took my husband a couple of years to come round and a formal diagnosis to accept it. But you know what? I wish I had had the benefit of burying my head under the sand and just been able to enjoy my son in those early years/months, rather than having to fight for every single service and being anxious about the unknowns.

We have had couples therapy since to ensure we are firmly on the same page, for the sake of our son as much as anything, because he needs consistency.

I wish you all the luck. Sounds like you have a good start to the journey and your daughter will be lucky to have a mum like you. It won't take long for you to see that it's not all about red flags and doom and gloom xxx

Hotpot33 · 06/12/2021 07:37

And be very wary of ableist approaches.

Eye contact is painful for the majority of autistics. You need to avoid any professional who encourages the use of therapy to encourage masking and training an autistic child to appear neurotypical (by being able to make eye contact). These were mistakes I made thanks to Google.

Ableist therapies are traumatising. If you listen to autistic adults who went through these therapies, you will hear what your child is going through. And for what? So they can make eye contact? Autistic people listen and interact better and more authentically if they are not spending all their time and energy being made to act like a neurotypical xxx

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