Although it might feel as though you are not getting anything practical done, when you are actually layering the foundations of knowledge, you are in a more powerful position in the long term to be able to make decisions that affect your child within your interactions and for their lifestyle for many years to come.
Having the knowledge is crucial for parents because parents are the ones that spend the most amount of time with their child, know their child the best and will sustain the duration with them over their lifespan.
Below are the top reasons by Helene Goldnadel why you need to educate yourself in autism:
Having the underlying knowledge as to WHY you are doing something is SO much more valuable than just being told to do something and do it. Why? Because you will find so many more opportunities to achieve the 'why bother?' throughout your day as opposed to doing the 'what' once or repeating it over and over.
Parents know their child better than any professional ever will. Put this together with the knowledge a professional knows and can apply, and you are more likely to achieve amazing things with your child. As a consultant it is my goal to pass on the knowledge that you will require to make the most advances with your child.
New developments. You may think to yourself 'alright already, I know what autism is, let's just get on with it' BUT there are always new developments in research, child development, strategies as well as various perspectives to take on from different approaches. I am not saying that you need to know EVERYTHING before you can do ANYTHING but having an open mind and being receptive to learning as you go along will only equip you with a better stance to help your child. The fact of the matter is you never stop learning; each time you find another piece to the puzzle.
Layering the foundations and groundwork of any approach before doing it can only encourage you to understand what you are doing better, gain clarity on why you are doing it and what your goals are that you are aiming to achieve from doing it.
Be the change you want to see in the world! If you are expecting others to have a better awareness of autism, then it's probably a good idea for you to educate yourself in autism so that you can then share this knowledge with other family, friends and members of the community. Let's face it, if we leave it to authorities it may not ever get done and it's just too much to expect professionals to cover alone, we ALL need to play our role in this area.
Most parents did not have autism in their life plan, I know. We learn to deal with the lessons life throws at us and for some reason or another, this is where we are right now. It's time to embrace it, learn about it and take on the challenges we have been given and come out the other side, braver, more experienced, knowledgeable and stronger beings.
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