Coming to Terms with Your Diagnosis: Tips for Teens on the Autism Spectrum
“How do I help my 13 year old son to come to terms with his diagnosis of 'high functioning' autism and help him to understand that it is not the end of the world?” So many times in life, we focus on the negative. It’s raining, getting up early, taking a test, and spilling a glass of milk are things that happen all the time. None of these are true negatives, but our perspective makes them worse than reality. You can turn each of these examples into a positive with a shift of thinking: thick green grass, seeing the sun rise, showing off skills, and a floor that needed a good mopping anyway are all positive outcomes to the same situations. High-functioning autism (HFA) is definitely not the worst thing in the world. There are many positive qualities to be found in a teenager with the disorder. They’re smart, so knowledgeable, and have an amazing memory. Young people on the autism spectrum have an intense sense of right and wrong and desire to follow the rules. In the sam