Not a Condolence Letter

A friend's child received a diagnosis of autism this week.
Naturally this is disturbing, but, for my friends and anyone else in this situation, i want to say, this is not the end of the world.
You still have the same kid, with whatever loveable and challenging traits he or she had before The Name descended upon you.
What you have now is special education law to protect you.  You will probably have access to more services, which you have known for some time the kid needs but were unavailable to your family.
There will be a lot more red tape and paperwork than for the siblings not so blessed.  Possibly the worst is when you hear people, who may or may not be referring to you and your family, talk about the government handouts & privileges you get for no good reason.
Well, no one said life is easy.  This is another stage in your adventure with your wonderFULL kid.  And there are others who know what it's like, though every special needs kid is different.
My own son with autism was diagnosed at 2 1/2 and will soon turn 21.