An island of 3
My 1 yr old son was recently diagnosed with Autism. They diagnosed him with mild autism but me and my husband don’t see it. His symptoms are more similar to a toddler with ADHD. None the less, we are moving forward. He was already in private PT so now we are able to put him through all of the therapy services he needs since his sessions will finally be covered by insurance.
I’ve been on the fence on who to tell. I told my immediate tribe but I’m not sure if I want to share it with my entire family. People like to say they don’t treat ppl differently but they do. Mental illness and mental disabilities is a BIG taboo in both of our families. They don’t believe in therapy, getting tested/evaluated, or anything that requires modern medicine. They feel like everything is fixed with prayer and time.
That’s not us. That’s not how we run our household. We are problem solvers. We take action and believe in using the resources around us. Prayer is sprinkled in there as well.
I also like to be the one to control how information flows from my household. Him being on the spectrum is not negative and I don’t want it be painted as such.
I say all of this but my problem is isolation. When I am protecting myself and those around me I isolate. Me and my therapist have been discussing this in depth but it’s hard not to do it in this situation.
How did some of you tell your family? Or were you a bit more discerning on who to tell?
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ADHD cannot be diagnosed this early. It also often coincides with autism.
One reason a lot of people don’t see the autistic traits is bc autism is often hereditary. So, it seems normal.
My husband’s family doesn’t believe in mental health issues requiring support, let alone believes my son is autistic… but they are ALL autistic and undiagnosed. I’m only seeing it now that I am familiar with autism.
My MIL has taken my son to speech and OT. She’s surprisingly supportive… even though she always says, “he will be fine.” My response is always, “yes, with our support, he will be more than fine.”
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