Personal experiences of those with autism and the people around them…

When parents or carers are trying to research Autism on the internet and find out more for themselves, it can be incredibly daunting.

There is a wealth of research and information out there and it can be hard to know where to look and whether those sources can be trusted.

New Autism diagnosis

It can also be terrifying if you have only just had a diagnosis or are awaiting one.

But it can also be wonderful to hear first-hand accounts from other parents and carers who are going through, or went through, similar experiences in their family life.

Personal experiences

We have compiled a list of blogs which tell of personal experiences that we feel may be helpful for parents and carers. Some of the blogs may be hard to read but it is often helpful to hear about the experiences of others.

• The Autism Dad – This blog is written by a single father raising three Autistic children. He writes with honesty about family struggles and also creates podcasts. The blog dates back to 2010 so there is a lot of information available and readers can almost watch his children grow up.
• Finding Cooper’s Voice – This blog is full of wonderful resources as well as the story of a family’s diagnosis of a child with ASD and then learning to live with it. Kate started the blog because she felt she had no one to talk to about her son’s autism. Cooper has severe, non-verbal autism. The blog also includes stories written by other people. Kate is based in America.
• Rainbows are too beautiful –  A wonderful UK-based blog to share experiences of autistic children as well as other conditions such as ADHD, hypermobility and dyspraxia. Ann talks frankly about her experiences but also provides many resources for those with children with Autism, including suggesting activities to try at home and educational resources.
• Starlight and Stories – A very useful blog, especially if you are struggling to come to terms with a new diagnosis of Autism. Another fantastic UK-based blog, Victoria is a teacher and parent to a child with Autism and aims to pass on the knowledge she has learnt in both roles. Her blogs are filed in useful categories, such as parenting, food and travel.
• Living with a Jude – Another brilliant UK-based blog by Alice, a mother of three children, one of whom has severe learning disabilities and autism. She helpfully charts day-to-day family life and also adds extra posts such as about veganism, lifestyle, days out and travel as well as how carers can help look after their own needs too – which is vitality important.

Keep reading

There are many, many blogs out there and this is just a selection of the ones we feel can be really helpful. 

We hope you find it useful to read about other people’s experiences with Autism too and please remember, there is always support out there and we at The Autism Service are here to help.