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What Are the Benefits of a Medical Diagnosis of Autism?
The validation of my son’s ASD has me thinking that I should get officially diagnosed, too
A year and a half ago, my then-15 year-old son Holden asked me to join him in one of his weekly therapy sessions. There, he announced to me that he believed himself to be Autistic.
We’d been grappling with Holden’s mental health since preschool. He’d already received diagnoses of ADHD, anxiety, and depression. We’d already tried scores of meds, to little avail. He’d been in therapy since sixth grade, but the therapist’s recommendations never panned out.
Still, therapy had been beneficial in that Holden had found a safe space to self-reflect without any fear of judgement. His therapist wasn’t going to force him to cut down on his screen time, nor was she going to be disappointed when he failed to complete yet another assignment at school.
In that safe space, we talked together about what Holden had discovered about himself. He did his best to describe the YouTube videos he’d watched, prompting him to take self-diagnostic tests online. While he struggled to recall all of his symptoms, he stimmed with his fingers on his lap.
And right there, I felt the initial relief of knowing settle on my soul.
