Step One

My life is slowly getting back to normal

You may now know what your child’s condition is and have an explanation as to why he or she behaves the way he or she does. For example, you may now know why your child does not like the sounds of ambulance sirens or the vacuum cleaner (Fig. 1). You may also know  why your child seems to be slower than others his or her age when it comes to learning new things.  Taking your child to therapy sessions and going to meetings with members of the medical field may now be part of your routine. Therapy sessions usually happen on a weekly basis, and meetings with doctors seem to happen once or twice a year. You may not know if this will ever stop. But it is now part of your new routine. Life goes onand therapy sessions become as routine as soccer or going to the grocery store. Your life is not the same as that of other parents but it is your life. You and other members of your family have made it your own and it has become the new normal.

Figure 1. Covering his ears

Sometimes, just as you starting adjusting to the new routine something happens. Your child starts displaying behaviors that he or she has not displayed before. You are not sure if these behaviors are part of your child’s condition.  You may start to wonder if something else may be happening with your child.