Disability Disclosure - Talking to Your Autistic Child About Autism
Posted on July 15, 2026
Our featured resource is a pair of articles by Sara Woods, Ph.D., from the University of Washington Autism Center. Each is written to support parents of autistic children to feel equipped and confident in talking to their child about autism. In both 13 Tips for Talking to Your Child About Their Autism and 10 Tips for Talking to Your Child About Their Autism, Dr. Woods acknowledges the overwhelm families may feel, while conveying the important message that “When autistic children aren’t told why they’re different, they tend to come up with their own negative reasons. Trying to hide the truth about an autism diagnosis tends to backfire, leading to depression and anxiety for the child. You have the power to make a difference in your child’s identity.”
Woods encourages families to, “Start with yourself - learning that your child is autistic can open the gates to a flood of feelings. Relief, happiness, fear, guilt, sadness — there’s no one right way to feel.” Other tips include: Start early and don’t stop, validate the difficulties that they have, talk about strengths, and encourage your child to ask questions. Each of the thirteen points offers discussion, and many include related resources such as organizations, websites, and books.
We hope the featured resource and the related resources leave you feeling empowered to navigate autism focused conversations with your child. We also hope you keep in mind that children’s books and educational illustrations can also be powerful learning tools for adults, including older siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and even family friends. We recognize that each family’s journey after receiving an autism diagnosis is going to be uniquely theirs, and our hope at START is that you feel supported, seen, and part of a caring community.
Additional resources:
- Vanderbilt Kennedy Center: Disclosing Their Diagnosis to Support Your Child’s Self-Understanding: Caregiver Resource
- Child Mind Institute: How to Tell Your Child About Their Autism Diagnosis
- START: Disclosure
Paid Resources:
- Neurowild: Let’s Talk About My Brain - Telling your child they are Autistic (illustrated resource)
- Lil Penguin Studio:
- 'After a Neurodivergent Diagnosis' Emotions Wheel (printable poster)
- 'Autism Is Full of Wonders' (printable poster)
- Reframing Autism: Just Right For You- A Story About Autism
- All My Stripes: A Story for Children with Autism (book)
- Different Thinkers: Autism (book)
- The Awesome Autistic Go-To Guide (book)