Your Child Was Just Diagnosed With Autism. What Do You Do Now?

If your child was recently diagnosed with autism, you may be feeling relieved to finally have some answers—and completely overwhelmed by what comes next.

You may be wondering:

What kind of therapy does my child need?

Should we start ABA? OT? Speech? Floortime?

What am I supposed to be doing at home?

How do I help my child without making every moment feel like therapy?

And maybe the biggest question:

“How do I understand my child?”

First, take a breath.

You don't have to figure everything out at once.

You don't have to change your child to help them grow.

At Growing Through Play, we believe therapy should begin with understanding your child—not simply trying to change their behavior.

Your child's communication, play, movement, sensory needs, and behavior are all telling us something about how they experience the world.

Our job is to become curious about those messages.

Maybe your child:

• Doesn't respond when you call their name

• Prefers to play alone

• Lines up toys

• Repeats the same activity over and over

• Becomes overwhelmed by certain sounds or sensations

• Has difficulty with transitions

• Uses very few words

• Communicates more through movement, gestures, or sounds

• Seems interested in you but doesn't know how to engage

These aren't simply problems to eliminate.

They're opportunities to understand your child better.

So where do you start?

Start with connection.

Before worrying about whether your child is playing “correctly,” communicating enough, or meeting every developmental milestone, look at what already brings them joy.

What do they love?

Cars?

Water?

Spinning?

Jumping?

Animals?

Music?

Opening and closing things?

Running?

Your child's interests can become the doorway into connection.

Instead of asking:

“How do I get my child to play with me?”

Try asking:

“How can I join my child's world?”

That small shift can change the way you see your child.

What is DIR/Floortime?

DIR/Floortime is a relationship-based approach that uses your child's interests, emotions, communication, and play to support development.

Instead of starting with:

“How do I get my child to do this?”

we start with:

“What is my child showing me?”

We watch.

We listen.

We join.

We follow their lead.

And then we gently create opportunities for back-and-forth interaction, communication, problem-solving, and shared joy.

But what about sensory needs?

This is where occupational therapy can add another important piece.

Sometimes a child wants to connect but their nervous system is overwhelmed.

Maybe the room is too loud.

Maybe movement helps them feel organized.

Maybe certain textures are difficult.

Maybe transitions are hard because their body isn't ready for the change.

Understanding sensory processing and regulation can help us understand why participation may be difficult—not simply label the behavior as something that needs to stop.

At Growing Through Play, we look at the whole child.

Connection.

Communication.

Play.

Sensory processing.

Regulation.

Movement.

Daily routines.

And the relationships surrounding your child.

You are part of the therapy.

One of the most important differences at Growing Through Play is that I don't want you to feel like you have to hand your child over to a therapist and hope for the best.

I want you to understand your child, too.

Because the most important developmental moments don't happen only during a therapy appointment.

They happen during:

Breakfast.

Bath time.

Getting dressed.

Playing on the floor.

Running around outside.

Bedtime.

Those little moments when your child looks at you, reaches for you, laughs with you, or invites you into their world.

Those moments matter.

You don't have to become your child's therapist.

You don't need another giant list of things to do.

You need someone who can help you understand what your child is communicating and show you how to turn everyday moments into opportunities for connection and growth.

That's what Growing Through Play is here to do.

If you're a parent who has recently received an autism diagnosis and you're wondering “What do I do now?”, you don't have to navigate the next step alone.

Let's start by understanding your child.

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