Parental guilt after an autism diagnosis is nearly universal and almost always misdirected — autism is not caused by anything parents did or didn't do. The guilt typically reflects the grief of an unexpected diagnosis combined with the human tendency to search for cause and control. It tends to ease as families move from the shock of diagnosis into the practical work of getting services in place.
Why Do I Feel Guilty About My Child's Autism Diagnosis? If you feel guilty after your child's autism diagnosis, you are not alone. Most parents report guilt as one of their first and most persistent emotional responses. It is not a sign of bad parenting at all. If anything, it is a sign of how deeply you care about your child. Guilt after a diagnosis tends to come in several forms, and most of them are rooted in questions that the research has actually answered. What This Tells You Guilt and lov
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