Got told yesterday son is on the autism spectrum and I feel so sad???

You are certainly not the first person to write about reacting like that on this forum. In some ways that is an entirely normal reaction to what you feel is very bad news. It is normal to cry and you should allow yourself to cry and be sad - it might be worse to bottle it all up and hide your emotions. It is also good to talk to other people - friends relatives, even people on-line! If you are still feeling this way in a month's time (you will very probably get through this more quickly) then you should seek help from your doctor.

A diagnosis of autism is, however, not the end of the world. A lot of people on this forum got diagnosed much later in life after being misunderstood, and misunderstanding others, for many years. I don't regard my diagnosis as a disaster, it is something to deal with and it is something to work out how to live with but it is not the end of the world by any means. Having a diagnosis has allowed me to actually be much happier and contented than I was before, it explains things that were a mystery, it provides answers to questions that I didn't know that I couldn't answer.

Your son needs you more than ever now and you will have to learn how to make his life the best it can be. Take your time to learn about how he is both different and the same as other children.

Have a look at the discussion threads returned by this search community.autism.org.uk/.../"diagnosed yesterday" and you will see the variety of reactions and that you are not alone in having to deal with this.

You are certainly not the first person to write about reacting like that on this forum. In some ways that is an entirely normal reaction to what you feel is very bad news. It is normal to cry and you should allow yourself to cry and be sad - it might be worse to bottle it all up and hide your emotions. It is also good to talk to other people - friends relatives, even people on-line! If you are still feeling this way in a month's time (you will very probably get through this more quickly) then you should seek help from your doctor.

A diagnosis of autism is, however, not the end of the world. A lot of people on this forum got diagnosed much later in life after being misunderstood, and misunderstanding others, for many years. I don't regard my diagnosis as a disaster, it is something to deal with and it is something to work out how to live with but it is not the end of the world by any means. Having a diagnosis has allowed me to actually be much happier and contented than I was before, it explains things that were a mystery, it provides answers to questions that I didn't know that I couldn't answer.

Your son needs you more than ever now and you will have to learn how to make his life the best it can be. Take your time to learn about how he is both different and the same as other children.

Have a look at the discussion threads returned by this search community.autism.org.uk/.../"diagnosed yesterday" and you will see the variety of reactions and that you are not alone in having to deal with this.