My Child Was Just Diagnosed with Autism. What Do I Do Next?
A Parent's Guide to the First Steps After an Autism Diagnosis Before Considering ABA.
Receiving an autism diagnosis for your child can bring a mix of emotions. You may feel relief at finally having answers, uncertainty about what comes next, or even feel overwhelmed by the amount of information available online.
First, know this:
Your child is the same amazing child they were before the diagnosis.
An autism diagnosis doesn't change who they are—it simply gives us a better understanding of how they experience and interact with the world. The diagnosis helps guide supports that honor your child's strengths while addressing areas where they may need additional help.
At Rooted Therapies in Lewisville, Texas, we specialize in neurodiversity-affirming speech, occupational, and feeding therapy for autistic children. Below are answers to some of the most common questions parents ask after receiving an autism diagnosis. As a parent, I encourage you to always trust your parent-gut and not take everything a therapist tells you as gold. My caveat is that I, Rachel, the owner of Rooted & Rising Therapies, am autistic and have ADHD. What I share with parents is what I wish my mom knew to best support me when I was growing up. This information is not intended to sell you on therapies to change or fix your child. This guide is written with intentionality to maintain autistic authenticity, support sensory and nervous system regulation, and help your child to grow successfully in a world not designed for their brain. This is not to sell you something to make your child something they aren’t. I truly believe that autism is a neurotype, meaning the autistic brain is a brain that is wired differently. The root cause of autism is an autistic-wired brain.
Does my child need therapy immediately after receiving an autism diagnosis?
Not every autistic child needs every therapy. Some children may benefit from support. Each therapy team and plan should be uniquely and individually designed to support each person’s unique needs, differences, strengths, interests, and sensory preferences.
"What supports will help my child participate more fully in the activities that matter to them?"
Neurodiversity affirming and strengths-based therapy can support:
Communication
Participating in daily routines (getting dressed, bathing, teeth brushing, play, toileting).
Building independence
Supporting emotional regulation
Developing play skills
Expanding food variety when appropriate
Increasing confidence and self-advocacy
Self-advocacy and social skills
The right therapy plan looks different for every child.
Does every autistic child need speech therapy?
No—but if your autistic child is showing a difference in speech development or social communication skills, they may benefit from speech support. In this instance, you will want to find a speech therapist who specializes in autistic language development and someone who is neurodiversity affirming. Research shows that more than 85% of autistic people are gestalt language processors. This is how their brain develops language, and MOST speech therapists are not trained in this language development type.
Speech therapy is about much more than talking. Speech therapy for autistic children should be individualized to support:
Communication
Gestalt Language Processing (scripting/echolalia)
AAC (communication devices)
Feeding and swallowing
Self-advocacy
Executive Functioning
Apraxia of speech
Caregiver coaching
Many autistic children communicate in ways that are different—not disordered. A neurodiversity-affirming speech therapist helps expand communication while respecting your child's unique communication style. Autistic children deserve someone to view their communication as valid, honor their preferred play methods, and a therapist who follows their lead and naturally incorporates speech support into play.
My child doesn't talk. Should we wait?
No.
Children do not have to be speaking to benefit from speech therapy. Non-speaking children may have childhood apraxia of speech. This is the muscle execution of speech. With childhood apraxia of speech, most children know what they want to communicate; however, the muscles in their mouth are not working properly to communicate their ideas. Children who are minimally or nonspeaking can still be gestalt language processors and therefore need a speech therapist who specializes in GLP and can support their brain and language development in that way, even if it is utilizing a speech device/AAC.
Many autistic children are nonspeaking or minimally speaking and communicate through:
Gestures
Sign language
Body language
Facial expressions
Vocalizations
Play/ recreating scenes
YouTube videos or song clips
Research consistently supports introducing robust communication systems early rather than waiting for speech to emerge.
Communication is a human right.
What is AAC? Will it stop my child from talking?
No.
Research has consistently shown that AAC does not prevent speech development.
AAC gives children another way to communicate while spoken language develops—or becomes their lifelong communication method.
AAC often reduces frustration because children finally have a reliable way to express themselves. Speech therapy that incorporates AAC as communication should still be child-led, play-based, and sensory informed. Speech Therapy where the speech therapist is asking a child to show them a button or therapy looks like they are quizzing the child is not beneficial for autistic children. This teaches following directions and is compliance rather than allowing the child to freely communicate and explore the AAC like it is a natural connection and communication.
My child repeats words and movie quotes. Is that normal?
Yes. Many autistic children are Gestalt Language Processors.
Instead of learning one word at a time, they learn language in meaningful chunks or scripts.
This is called echolalia. Echolalia is communication. Echolalia is the hallmark of the first stage of language development for gestalt language processors.
Some characteristics of a GLP include:
Delayed echolalia (reproducing chunks of language from a specific source, such as a show, a song, a caregiver phrase, sometimes hours or days later)
Melodic intonation (the melody of the original phrase is intact even when words are unclear)
Long strings of unintelligible speech/jargon (sounds like babbling past two years old)
Increased interest in music, humming, rich intonation (may sing and not communicate)
Replaying portions of videos repeatedly
Not responding well to traditional approaches
Repeat questions instead of answering them
“Stuck” in single words or phrases
Rather than trying to eliminate scripts, neurodiversity-affirming speech therapy helps children build more flexible language from the phrases they already know.
What if my child doesn't use echolalia? Or what if their phrases aren’t from songs or shows?
They may still be a Gestalt Language Processor.
Some Gestalt Language Processors are:
Nonspeaking
Minimally speaking
AAC users
Children with childhood apraxia of speech
Children who babble or use jargon beyond age two
Speech alone does not determine how a child processes language.
We also look at:
Play
Learning patterns
Communication
Regulation
Interests
Repetitive video watching
Overall language development
Children can be gestalt language processors without ever scripting from songs, shows, and movies. Some children reuse phrases they heard from their parents, teachers, or siblings. These phrases appear more “natural” and give the illusion of an advanced speaker, with a toddler using vocabulary beyond his years because his scripts are from adult language models. Children can also develop quickly through the first stage or two of gestalt language processing and get stuck in the higher stages where they struggle to answer questions, have back-and-forth conversations, and describe sequences of events/retelling stories/parts of their day. Not all children require speech therapy in the early stages of GLP, some may need support in the higher-level, more complex stages of gestalt language processing.
Does my child need occupational therapy?
Occupational therapy supports children in participating in everyday life.
Has sensory processing differences
Struggles with emotional regulation
Has difficulty with transitions
Is highly active or underactive
Avoids certain sensations
Has fine motor challenges
Has self-care differences
Pathological demand avoidance
Occupational therapy is about helping children successfully participate in the occupations of childhood.
What if my child only eats a few foods?
Many autistic children experience feeding differences related to:
Sensory processing
Oral motor skills
Anxiety
Predictability
Medical concerns
A feeding evaluation can help determine why eating is challenging and create a child-led plan that expands food experiences without pressure. Learn more about feeding therapy.
Does my child need ABA?
Families often ask us whether ABA is the "right" therapy after an autism diagnosis.
There is no one-size-fits-all answer. Every family has different values, goals, and priorities.
At Rooted Therapies, our philosophy is rooted in neurodiversity-affirming, child-led, relationship-based care. We focus on helping children build communication, regulation, independence, and participation while honoring who they are. Rather than emphasizing compliance, we prioritize connection, autonomy, and meaningful skill development in ways that feel safe and motivating for each child.
If you're exploring different therapy options, ask providers how they support your child's autonomy, communication, emotional regulation, and long-term well-being. Finding a team whose approach aligns with your family's values is just as important as the services they provide.
While we aren’t explicitly against ABA, we have observed the impact on many autistic kids who have received ABA therapy. We have many children come into our office with anxiety, trauma, and little to no initiation. This is because big box ABA utilizes discrete trial training methods that do not honor the child’s interest, how their brain processes language, sensory processing, and it heavily relies on external motivation. Discrete trial training looks like operant conditioning: the child does what the therapist asks, and they are given a reward/reinforcer, very similarly to training a dog. Because we believe that autistic children are perfectly created as they are and we want them to be their authentic self and express themselves and their interests, Rooted & Rising Therapies does not believe in requiring autistic children to complete adult-led activities and execute them for a reward.
If we value autistic children, we want them to engage in activities of their interest and grow in communication and life skills because it’s their desire (intrinsic motivation). Not because they were bribed or told exactly how to act.
Will my autistic child talk?
Every autistic child has a unique communication journey.
Some children become fluent speakers with mouth words.
Some communicate primarily through AAC.
Some use a combination of speech and AAC.
Success should not be measured by whether a child talks, but by whether they have meaningful, effective communication that allows them to connect with others and express themselves.
Should I tell my child they are autistic?
Many autistic adults recommend talking openly and positively about autism from an early age.
Children benefit from understanding that autism is part of who they are—not something to hide or "fix."
Learning about autism through a strengths-based lens helps children build self-understanding, confidence, and self-advocacy.
Many children and teenagers who are autistic and don’t know develop secondary mental health disorders, like anxiety, depression, and OCD. This is because they know they are different, life feels harder for them, but they don’t understand why.
When autistic and ADHDers go undiagnosed or do not understand their brain, they are not able to accurately accommodate themselves and their needs. This perpetuates masking and autistic burnout. These are detrimental to quality of life. (I say this with personal experience. I, Rachel, was undiagnosed until my late 20’s.)
How do I know if I'm choosing the right therapy provider for my autistic child?
Look for providers who:
Listen to your concerns.
Respect your child's communication.
Honor sensory needs and give unrestricted access to sensory regulation
Welcome parent involvement.
Individualize treatment.
Build on your child's strengths.
Prioritize connection before compliance.
Celebrate your child's authentic self.
The relationship between your child, your family, and the therapist matters just as much as the therapy itself.
We're Here to Help
At Rooted & Rising Therapies, we know an autism diagnosis is the beginning of a journey—not a roadmap written in stone.
Our speech-language pathologists and occupational therapists provide child-led, play-based, neurodiversity-affirming care that supports autistic children in building communication, regulation, confidence, and independence while celebrating exactly who they are.
We proudly serve families throughout Lewisville, Flower Mound, Highland Village, Coppell, Denton, Argyle, Corinth, Tarrant County, Collin County, Parker County, and surrounding North Texas communities.
If your child has recently been diagnosed with autism and you're wondering what comes next, we'd love to help you navigate that journey together.