Husband Lacks Experience Parenting Autistic Daughter for 03/19/2024
Dear Annie: My daughter is 8 years old and was recently diagnosed with autism. She was just diagnosed at age 7, but I have suspected she is autistic since about age 3 when she used to be severely speech-delayed. Over the years, I had suggested she was autistic to my husband several times, and his responses were things like, "She's just a little bit behind" and ,"She's just stubborn and hot-headed like her daddy." My concerns were always brushed off. However, he could no longer use those excuses when last year her classroom had to be evacuated due to her throwing furniture during one of her meltdowns. Even during the evaluations, he seemed confident that she wouldn't be diagnosed with autism, and when she was, he seemed to not take it well. Due to her growing in both age and strength, I have needed additional help with her. I am a stay-at-home mom of three, and when she has bad days, it has been increasingly difficult for me. My husband has been working fewer hours lately and has hired a care worker to help me on the days when he is working, for which I'm incredibly grateful. Since he's been around more, he has been witnessing the meltdowns that I have been telling him about for years, and unfortunately he has not been handling them well.Updated: Tue Mar 19, 2024