Published on 12, July, 2020
Despite knowing deep down for a very long time, our 20 year son was yesterday officially diagnosed as Autistic. On telling him, the assessor congratulated him and said the world would be a better place with more Autistic people in it! I felt very emotional yet positive on hearing him say those words and our son, well I think he is in some ways relieved.
What I would like to ask people now, is how to take things from here. It will be up to our son of course, who he chooses to tell, but I don't want him to think we are hiding it or keeping it a secret. A friend of mine when her 12 year old son was diagnosed, they had a little party.. our son is too old for that, but i want to acknowledge it and how proud we are in some ways.
Where do we take things from here?
Hi NAS93882, congratulations on your son's diagnosis. While disclosure is a very personal decision, our guide on Disclosing autism might be useful: https://autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/topics/diagnosis/disclosing-your-autism. It is directed more at autistic adults and parents of younger children, but it could be helpful to better understand what approaches your son may be considering.
I hope this is useful.
Best wishes,
Anna Mod
thank you for taking the time to reply, i shall look into that link x