Tips for Sharing an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Diagnosis with Family & Friends

April is Autism Awareness Month and, to continue our coverage of this important topic, we wanted to share this helpful resource from the Child Mind Institute:

Parenting a child with characteristics of an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is not easy.  One of the challenges faced by many parents is how and when to communicate to others that their child is on the Autism Spectrum.  There are some great tips in this article, including differentiating between "behaviors" and "symptoms."  For example, a child with ASD who has difficulty with eye contact may be inaccurately perceived as "rude."  Another great tip is to explain that ASD covers an extremely broad range of skill levels, so it's important to remember that one person with an ASD may function in a completely different manner from another person with an ASD.  In the world of school psychology, we've all heard the saying, "If you've evaluated one student with an ASD, then you've evaluated one student with an ASD."  As an example, children on the Spectrum may be completely nonverbal, or exceptionally gifted in their verbal knowledge.  Helping others to realize that there is a wide range of differences can reduce expectations of "stereotyped" behaviors and improve understanding and communication. 

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