When our son Tom was initially diagnosed on the autism spectrum, we had no idea what the psychologist was telling us. The diagnosis of "Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified" (PDD-NOS) was like Greek to us -- and the psychologist didn't seem terribly worried. His prognosis was positive, and so were we.

It wasn't until a second evaluation, when the doctor tossed off "oh, yes, he's definitely autistic," that we suddenly realized we were dealing with something more than a delay. Then we started to panic.

Now, six years later, we're not panicking any more. Our son is doing well, and though we're very involved we're not overwhelmed. But getting to that place took a lot of time...a lot of research...and a lot of adjustments.

If your child is newly diagnosed, you too may be feeling a bit panicky. If so, this Step by Step Guide may be helpful!