26 Oct Raising Children with Autism: To Disclose or Not to Disclose That is the Question!
Of course this is a private and personal choice but there are individuals with autism who believe that we all have the right to know (and I personally agree). However if you are on the fence about whether you should disclose your child’s diagnosis of autism with them, or your extended family, school, community here are some things to consider :
- At some point in your child’s life will they need to self-advocate?
- Is your child requesting information? Does your child ask questions or talk about any of the following topics:
- Being different or not fitting in at school
- Wanting friends but feeling as though they do not have any
- Not understanding why some things are so hard for them
- At some point in your child’s life might they require information about their unique kind of mind or “disability” for moral or legal reasons, such as to provide legal protection against discrimination?
- If I were on the autism spectrum would I want to know? Would I feel I had the right to know?
- Keeping a “secret” takes a lot of energy and adds stress to you family environment.
- What does a secret imply? In most cultures a secret implies something bad.
At Friend 2 Friend Social Learning Society we believe that autism is not a 4 letter word. It is not something we can learn about in a one time “talk” it is a life long process of understanding, acceptance and empathy.
Want to lear more? Join us Feb 17th or Feb 24th for Demystifying the Classroom
Poem by Iain (age 8) son of Heather McCracken