It took me a long time to get a diagnosis of autism for my son. He would go to various child development centres and have sessions under various departments, but nobody ever seemed to give me a straight answer about what was wrong with my child.
Of course, having no diagnosis made it awkward for me when people wanted to know what was wrong with my son. "He has learning difficulties" I would say sheepishly, not knowing how to proceed further.
Finally, when I saw a new paediatrician last year, she asked me if I had ever been given a diagnosis. I replied that I had not, but I was very interested in getting one, as I didn't know how to explain his disability to people.
She told me to think long and hard about whether I really wanted to know what was wrong with him. Apparently, some people don't cope well at all once they hear the dreaded words. I had no such hang ups. I knew there was a problem, so for me, having a name for it would enable me to research the condition and connect with others.
After a few diagnostic tests, she gave the diagnosis of Autism Spectrum, likely with Aspergers. I was so happy to finally have a name for the condition!
A few months ago, my cousin contacted me. She was very distressed because her son had been given a diagnosis of autism and she felt like her world had ended. She couldn't stop crying. I tried to encourage her the best as I could, but it just goes to illustrate how people can have vastly different reactions when their child receives a diagnosis of Autism.
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