Get emotional support from others.
Braxton found that one thing which was helpful in coping with her son’s autism was finding others who were going through a similar experience. The singer connected with an organization, Autism Speaks. They helped to reassure Braxton things would be okay. They immediately provided her with the tools which they thought would help her get her son on the right track. Parents, who also had kids with autism, told Toni, “Okay, you’re not a victim, our babies are great, they’re fine, get him into these therapies.”
Once she connected with this organization, she was able to learn what to expect with her son’s autism and therapies she could proactively place her son in to help her son eventually be able to mainstream into society.
Learn about autism and options your child has for treatment.
Half the battle with any diagnosis is understanding what the condition means, how to be proactive in treatment, and managing the illness so that you can still have a high quality of life. By joining this support group and educating herself about autism from reputable educational sites, Braxton was able to meet each of these needs. She gained a deeper understanding of autism, what his best treatment options were and the best way to create a loving and safe relationship with her son through this process.
While you might not be a celebrity like Toni Braxton, the challenges are similar if you are raising a child with autism. Using these tips will help you feel more ease and comfort as you cope through the journey.
Toni Braxton’s Lessons In Autism: “I Thought It Was Something I Had Done” was originally published on blackdoctor.org
