Jessica Chenoweth 
By MySDMom Jessica
The month of April is recognized as World Autism Month. Some call it Autism Awareness Month and others Autism Awareness Month. Either way, it is a time to talk about those that have been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder and those that love them. As a mother of a 2-year-old that was recently diagnosed with ASD, this is a time we’re using to share our story.
December 15th Walt was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. I won’t lie, I was scared when I first heard the doctor say it out loud. I couldn’t help but wonder what this meant for the future of my favorite little man. How does this affect who he is going to be? What does this mean for school? Future jobs? Friendships and relationships? All the possibilities ran through my head and I won’t lie I spent many hours crying for the next few days.
But the one thing that really ended up helping me stop being so scared and start feeling hopeful was hearing other people’s stories. Whether it was the mom that talked to me about her 25-year-old son that just went to Las Vegas with his friends or the Instagram post I read about a 3-year-old that progressed a ton after starting ABA therapy. All these stories helped me realize this wasn’t a scary thing it would just be different than some other kids. And that is okay.
So because of that we decided to share our story earlier this month in hopes that maybe one parent with a kid that was recently diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder would see it and feel a little less scared.
If your child was recently diagnosed with ASD or you know someone that was, this 100 day guide from Autism Speaks was also very helpful for us.
Most of all, remember this April – Be Kind!
