You’ve got the guide. What now?
Most families tell us the hard part isn’t the diagnosis. It’s the week after, when the appointments are booked and nobody has said what you actually do between now and then.
Here is what families usually need next, roughly in the order they usually need it. Take the one that matches this week. Skip the rest.
If you’re waiting for servicesYou don’t have to wait to start
Waitlists in many places run months. Your child is the age they are now. There are things you can begin at home today that don’t need anyone’s permission and don’t replace the therapy you’re waiting for.
What to do while you wait →If the words are still confusingLearn what ABA actually looks like
Plain language, written for parents rather than clinicians — what the therapy involves day to day, what the terms mean, and what to ask a provider.
Free
A Family’s Guide to ABA →If there is a brother or sisterThe sibling is watching everything
Siblings notice who gets the attention and who gets told “just a minute” nine times, and most of them never say a word about it. This one is written for the child, not about them — something you can read together.
$9.99
My Brother, My Sister, and Autism →If a grandparent is struggling with itThe people who love your child and don’t understand yet
Grandparents often want to help and reach for advice from a different era. This gives them the language, so you’re not translating your own child at every family dinner.
$9.99 · or both guides together as the Family Circle Bundle, $16.99
A Grandparent’s Guide to Autism →The Family Circle Bundle — both guides, $16.99 →
If school is comingStarting kindergarten
The transition into school is its own project: what to prepare, who to talk to, and what to have written down before the first day.
$19.99
Starting Kindergarten: The Autism Family Transition Pack →Something you can do tonightBuild one social story, free
Pick a situation your child finds hard — a haircut, a first day, a change of routine — add their name, and read it together a few times before it happens. It takes a couple of minutes and needs no account.
Open the Social Story Creator →Si prefiere leer en españolRecursos en español
Las guías para hermanos, abuelos y la transición al kínder también existen en español, junto con la guía gratuita para empezar.
Ver los recursos en español →If none of this is the thing you needed
Tell us what you were actually looking for and we will point you at it, or say plainly that we don’t have it. Write to contact@special-learning.com.