Raising Kids with Asperger's and High-Functioning Autism: Parents' Grief and Guilt

By Mark Hutten, M.A.
Some parents grieve for the loss of the youngster they imagined they had. Moms and dads have their own particular way of dealing with the situation based on a number of factors (e.g., their personality style, life experiences and support systems, among others).

Clearly there are a range of stages and coping techniques, such as denial, depression, anger and rationalization. Most families recognize, at least at some level, that there is something significantly wrong with their "special needs" youngster. To at last be given a name for it (i.e., Asperger's or High-Functioning Autism) can be a relief.

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