Shortly after D was diagnosed with Autism he started Occupational Therapy (OT). For as long as I live, I will never forget walking into his first appointment and feeling such relief as I observed the other kids there. As one boy came careening around the wall and then crashed into it, I realized that I had found D’s tribe. There were other kids out there just like him! He wasn’t alone!
Not only did he find his tribe but I found mine in the other parents in the waiting rooms who were all going through similar experiences. This brought me hope and information I was searching for.
Finding your tribe is probably one of the most important things you can do for yourself and your child after receiving a diagnosis that knocks you off your feet. They help you regain your balance, feel accepted and not crazy, (because sometimes you really wonder about your sanity). It helps your child deal with the loneliness that comes with discovering you are different and all your friends don’t have medical procedures they have to do every day, that they have jokes that you don’t understand because to you, speech is very literal, or that while their friends are playing after school, you’re at doctors appointments, therapy or just too exhausted to play.
To my tribe, THANK YOU!
To those of you who aren’t in my tribe yet, I can’t wait to meet you and help you in the way so many others have helped us.
You are so right! Finding a great support group helped me know I wasn’t alone.
It has made all the difference for me. Thanks for reading!