Toni Braxton is known as a highly successful R&B singer and songwriter. She has many accolades in the music industry selling over 67 million records, 41 million records and her accomplishments also include acting on Broadway and being a highly successful Executive Producer of several reality shows.
READ: Boyz II Men’s Shawn Stockman On Raising A Child With Autism
But, even with all of the successes Toni had in her career, as a mother she had to learn how to cope with her youngest son’s, Diezel, autism.
Diezel was diagnosed at age three, but Braxton shared with Fox and Friends that she recognized something was different much earlier. “As a mom I knew something was different about him when he was probably nine months old. By the time he became a year and a half I thought ‘He’s not developing like his older brother.’ It was inconclusive, and finally at three they said, ‘Yes, he’s autistic.'”
As a parent who may have a child with autism, you may be scared and wonder what you can do to help your child when you find out that your child has this diagnosis.
While having a child with autism can present some challenges, this diagnosis does not mean that they cannot have a high quality of life.
Here are some things you can learn from Toni Braxton as you help yourself and your child navigate through an autism diagnosis:
Toni Braxton, upon learning her son had been diagnosed with autism, initially blamed herself. Braxton told the site She Knows, “I felt sorry for myself for a long time and I blamed myself. I thought it was something I had done.” But, it wasn’t her fault and it’s not yours.
READ: Woman Gives Autistic Children Hope Through Swimming
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there has been an ten-fold increase of autism prevalence in the last 40 years. Autism is 4-5 times more common among boys than girls. There are 3 million individuals in the U.S. and tens of millions worldwide who have autism.
Much was not previously known about what causes autism. But, research is showing that environmental influences, rare gene changes or mutations cause autism, which impacts early brain development. Bottom line, if your child receives a diagnosis of autism, it is not your fault. Autism is caused by factors that are outside of your control.
Braxton found that one thing which was helpful in coping with her son’s autism was finding others who were going through a similar experience. The singer connected with an organization, Autism Speaks. They helped to reassure Braxton things would be okay. They immediately provided her with the tools which they thought would help her get her son on the right track. Parents, who also had kids with autism, told Toni, “Okay, you’re not a victim, our babies are great, they’re fine, get him into these therapies.”
READ: My Story: The Reason You Don’t Think I’m Autistic
Once she connected with this organization, she was able to learn what to expect with her son’s autism and therapies she could proactively place her son in to help her son eventually be able to mainstream into society.
Half the battle with any diagnosis is understanding what the condition means, how to be proactive in treatment, and managing the illness so that you can still have a high quality of life. By joining this support group and educating herself about autism from reputable educational sites, Braxton was able to meet each of these needs. She gained a deeper understanding of autism, what his best treatment options were and the best way to create a loving and safe relationship with her son through this process.
While you might not be a celebrity like Toni Braxton, the challenges are similar if you are raising a child with autism. Using these tips will help you feel more ease and comfort as you cope through the journey.
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