Hello. My 11 year old son has just been given an Autism diagnosis. Has anyone got any advice on how to talk to him about this as I know when I tell him he will be really upset? He was very upset at the assessment and sees having autism as very negative. I don't know where he has got this view from but I didn't seem to be saying the right things to reassure him. School are very supportive and I will be talking to them about it. My husband also sees it as negative and doesn't think we should tell him until he is older. His reasoning is our son is generally happy and this would disrupt that. However, I worry about the future, particularly his transition to secondary school in a few months and that while we are able to adjust quite easily to his needs at the moment it will be harder for him in the outside world. I also feel like there will be no support for him as SEND is already so stretched and any resources in schools tend to go to the more disruptive pupils, which my son is not. He is very quiet so goes under the radar. For context, I really wasn't sure if he would get a diagnosis or not. I think he masks a lot, doesn't appear stereotypically autistic. The things I'd noticed that led to the assessment (mainly sensory, emotions, routines) weren't noticed by anyone else e.g. school. He also gets very overwhelmed if he is upset and finds it very hard to talk about and articulate his feelings so if the diagnosis upsets him, it will be hard for him to engage in a conversation to reassure him, answer his questions etc. I appreciate any advice. I just want to do the best I can for my son. Thank you.
