Understanding Your Child: Expert Opinions

Are you looking for a deeper understanding of your child with autism or Asperger’s? One of the best sources of information about the world of children on the spectrum can come from adults with the same diagnosis. That’s one of the reasons that I enjoy following blogs written by adults on the autism spectrum. With all the media attention that focuses on children with autism, adults on the spectrum may be overlooked. As parents of autistic children, these individuals can be a wonderful resource.

You can't necessarily expect to find bloggers with a diagnosis that exactly matches your child's. Because the official diagnostic criteria have changed over the years, and because many adults were never officially diagnosed or were misdiagnosed, adult diagnoses may not match those of your children precisely.  Diagnosis in children can offer many benefits. In adults, an official diagnosis may not offer as many advantages, so many adults choose not to undertake official testing. Often you’ll find more general terms like “autistic blogger” rather than a formal diagnosis.

How do you find autistic bloggers? One of my favorite sources is the Autism Hub. There, blogs written by adults with autism or Asperger’s are clearly identified. Alltop lists selected blogs by category, including autism. Various autism and Asperger's related blogs are linked on Asperger Webring as well as listed on The Autistic Place.

What can you expect to find on these blogs? Every viewpoint you can imagine, including some that I’m sure you’ll disagree with. (Those are probably the most important ones for you to read!) After all, your kids will grow up and disagree with you on some things as well!