Autism.. I need to talk about it... BUT We don't use that word in this house.

@IntellectuallySound- I hear your plea. Sounds like you have a lot to deal with by yourself. My first thought was connecting with other parents of children with ASD - perhaps the physician can inform you of resources. Even if it is only a phone call- someone in similar situation. Obviously there is also the internet- there are many organizations who dedicate their focus on ASD. Again that would be online support- and information. In my community you would not be alone- there are quite a few families with children on the spectrum. I wish you the best. You deserve it. Hugs.

Thank you so much! Hugs back* I have scoured the internet, and it seems like most of the support I'm sorry I'm looking for are all based their Facebook which really sucks because I do not use Facebook, it is honestly very toxic for my mental health on many levels. Check read it and I've reached out to Autism speaks but I haven't found quite what I'm looking for. There are some in-person support groups but one the pandemic, two I don't drive, and three is child care, just to name a few. Online honestly feels like my best bet regardless. I was on seven cups briefly a few years ago but did not understand the concept back then and thought I would give it a try again. So far the layout and the concept seems to be the closest thing that I'm looking for. How would I find the group that you mentioned? As I said I'm fairly new and learning to navigate 😅

@IntellectuallySound- sorry- the "group" I was referring to is just my knowledge of neighbors with children on the spectrum. It is a challenging time to find parents with similar issues. And I understand concern about facebook- I actually signed up based on a neighbor's recommendation and was highly disappointed with the format. Keep searching online. 7 cups is great for your own personal support - dealing with your situation. Best of luck to you.

Hi. I came here to look for support with my newly diagnosed bipolar wife (I am also a female - just so you know) then I saw this. I have no clue if I can be helpful but I am Autistic as are both my kids (now 21 and 25). Autism is not a bad word and if you do not tiptoe around it it can be much easier to handle. My youngest was the first to get diagnosed. We then started researching all the famous people we could find who were Autistic. It made it “cooler”. We also covered the fact that it just made things different but not worse. Sleep issues are huge and normal. Any change is routine is huge. I had to implement a good and strict house schedule - even when family would laugh or try to say “but it’s Saturday! Give it a break.” Breakfast was at 8:00. Lunch at 11:00. Dinner at 5:00. Bath at 6:30. Bedtime (and I read a book with him - he picked the book) at 7:00. Some nights I stayed in with him until 8:00. High anxiety nights I let him sleep with me. Also got a “glow sound cube”. It was like a night light that hooked up to an iPod. So we played music with light all the time. Good, solid, scheduling is key. We used to say “A scheduled J is a happy J. And a happy J is a happy home.” There is hope. You just have to find what works for your little one and learn to communicate with him. The adults need to learn to adjust. I hope something in here was helpful...

I know I might be too late but please don't seek out help from autism speaks, they are a hate group (more on them here: https://autisticadvocacy.org/tag/autism-speaks/ )

Please also refrain from Facebook groups and things like "aba therapy". Look for autistic advocates or https://autisticmama.com/

Autism is not a bad word, I'm proud to be autistic. Please give your child a fair and happy start in his life by seeking out help that won't damage him in the future.