How to become your child's greatest advocate.

There is a series of stages a parent of an Aspergers syndrome child goes through when he or she learns the child has Aspergers syndrome. There is an expected confusion when the child doesn’t seem to conform to “normal” childhood standards. When the diagnosis is made, a sense of grief can occur with the loss of the anticipated “normal child”. Some parents remain in that stage and cannot see the positive aspects their child brings to the family and the world in general.

Those parents that choose to see what their child can bring to the world will begin to be an advocate for their child with those who understand less about the condition than they do. When the parent becomes his or her child’s greatest advocate, others can interact with the child in a more informed way and the child himself will experience life in a positive dimension.

The road to becoming an Aspergers child’s greatest advocate begins by being as informed as possible about the condition. There are dozens of books, some more scholarly than others, that a parent can read to help themselves understand that the Aspergers syndrome was not their fault and to learn patterns of behavior they have come to see in their child but didn’t know what they meant.

The second part about being an advocate for the Aspergers child is to pay careful attention to the child. Learn his or her idiosyncrasies and pay attention to the things that work with the child, along with the things that don’t work. If the child has certain obsessions or compulsions, understand what they are and find out ways to get around them, if possible.

The most important people to be your child’s advocate with are your family, including your extended family, daycare providers and teachers. They need to be as comfortable with dealing with your child as possible. Teachers and even daycare providers need to know how best to teach the child and how to handle tantrums or behaviors that can be hard to control. When these types of people understand the child, it often makes the difference between a good education and a poor one for a child that most likely has the potential to do just as well or even better, than his/her peers.

The Parenting Aspergers Resource Guide: A Complete Resource Guide For Parents Who Have Children Diagnosed With Aspergers Syndrome.