I posted this originally on a different thread before I was directed here.
My 2 years and 2 month old son has just received a preliminary diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum Disorder. One of my (many) concerns is how best to ease DS1 into the idea of DC2. I am 10 weeks pregnant. Obviously, it's too early to tell him now and I was planning to around 6 months, when I am obviously pregnant. At about that time, I was also going to get the various bits of extra kit we will need for the baby and a realistic doll to role play with. We have started picture exchange, so I would also add some relevant pictures to that. We are also starting to gather some relevant books.
My best friend (DS1's godmother) has just had a baby, so I am taking the opportunity to expose him to her baby and talk about it with him.
I know a lot of people with children on the spectrum and new babies need to worry about noise/smell sensitivity. DS1 has mild noise sensitivity, but I don't anticipate that being a particular issue.
I am obviously gearing myself up to make sure DS1 continues to get plenty of attention and one-on-one time with both me and my husband, and thinking of strategies to entertain DS1 when I am breastfeeding, etc (e.g. a quiet book, box of treasure, CBeebies(!), etc).
Can anyone share their experiences? I know every child is different, but I'm hoping there might be some valuable nuggets out there.