This post is the second in the 5-part series in honor of World Autism Awareness Day. To read the series introduction and first post, see:

Part 1: She may feel relief upon the receipt of an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis for her child.

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Part 2: She may experience the conflicting emotions of grief and hope.

While grief is natural part of any special needs parent’s journey, it is experienced and processed differently for the family affected by autism.

In 2009 and 2010 I conducted approximately sixty interviews with mothers of children with special needs. From the documented interviews, I wrote several magazine articles and a workshop for how to “Support the Family Through The Diagnosis” (which remains my most requested speaking topic). In honor of World Autism Day, I’m kicking off a series of 5 blog posts developed from a portion of this material. I hope this information will empower friends inside a church to better support a mother processing an autism diagnosis for her child.

A lot of parents of children who have special needs are choosing to homeschool these children today. There is no doubt that when this is done properly both the family and the child will do quite well.