"The moment my child was diagnosed, I dropped all my assumptions about autism. It was so freeing." -Parent on MyAutismTeam

Being a caretaker can be difficult but also an opportunity to rid yourself of what you think you know. Have you heard the saying, "People don't get it until they get it"?
That is so true about autism.

"The more I learn about autism, the more I realize that it's not my fault." -Parent on MyAutismTeam

An autism diagnosis forces us to drop our negative assumptions about what it means to be on the spectrum. Parents and caretakers on MyAutismTeam gain perspective from other members' experiences to become better informed about what it's really like to care for someone with autism.

Here are recent conversations from parents on MyAutismTeam:

• "People even treat us better out in public. I guess they see the headphones and just change their assumptions/expectations of us because we now have a physical thing that the public sees that cries out, 'Hey! We have autism.'"
• "Just don’t know what to do about the attitude/ crossing the line I get. I feel I have a hard time with the line of what’s a kid thing or puberty or other? Does anybody else struggle with this? I feel like I’m the only one."
• "I learn more and more each day about how Thomas feels. He's been sharing w/ me how he was being treated by classmates, how he feels about having Autism, etc."

What negative assumptions have you let go of about autism? Tell us about it in the comments below or directly on MyAutismTeam.com.