Autism Families - The Impacts of Autism on the Family

Jan. 8, 2011 - PRLog -- Autism Families

Having a child who has been diagnosed with autism can be a particularly challenging time for any family. The emotional roller coaster lurches from disbelief, anger, relief at finally having an explanation for your child's unusual behavior, guilt, surprise, helplessness, devastation, understanding, and so the list goes on.

Then there are the more practical questions too, what sort of treatment is available, what are the education options, what level of care will be required, how will this effect other siblings, parental relationships and financially, what will the effect be?

Parents bear the brunt of the family responsibility with mothers often feeling the impact of their childs autism more personally than others. Coping with an autistic child can lead to difficulties between parents with each playing a blame game. This can lead to a breakdown of the relationship, but researchers have found that this is no more likely than for families without autistic children.

Raising an autistic child is challenging and can be exhausting without support. As the main role in bringing up children usually falls to the mother, they may experience additional emotional stress. This can impact on not only relationships between parents, but also performance at work, which can lead to feeling of resentment or possibly have a financial impact if they are forced to change working hours and responsibilities to fit in around childcare. Try Internet #1 - Autism Families @ http://autismcure01.webs.com and live your family life normally right now!

An autistic brother or sister also impacts on other siblings. You may notice their autistic sibling embarrasses them, they may be reluctant to bring friends home or be jealous of the amount of time you spend with their brother/sister. On the other hand, there are some positives, siblings may develop strong feelings of protectiveness for their brother/sister and take an interest in their development.

Discussing with other siblings about their expected role, if any, in the future care of an autistic child is a good idea as most older children will start to wonder what their responsibilities might be as parents get older. Having an open and honest discussion with all your children about future care is important so that siblings are not worrying unnecessarily.

Grandparents are also effected by an diagnosis of autism. They can feel a loss of a 'normal' grandchild and will often worry and experience stress on behalf of the parents. Grandparents can be a huge help when caring for autistic children, but they can also hinder too, no matter how well meaning their intentions. Try Internet #1 - Autism Families @ http://autismcure01.webs.com and live your family life normally right now!

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Worry about your child’s future? Not sure what to do to help?
Try Internet #1 - Autism Families @ http://autismcure01.webs.com and live your family life normally right now!