Design For Life

Advice column: How do we tell our five-year-old he is autistic?

This week, author and autism advocate Pete Wharmby advises a parent seeking advice on how to talk to their young child about his autism diagnosis

It makes a lot of sense to be as open and forthcoming with your son as you can be, and to explain what autism is and how it makes him different

Dear Expert,

We have just received an autism diagnosis for our five-year-old son. We had been on the public waiting list for about a year but eventually decided to go private. We had strongly suspected that he was autistic, but it was still a shock when told for sure. We love him very much and want the best for him in life. We intend to seek out as much support for him as possible, and ...