With autism in the family there are a lot of things you need to do.  But don’t do it alone.  Work a course of action with your spouse and tell the whole family about the situation.  Other children in the family can play a big role when they understand what is going on.  Then go out and connect with other families with similar problems.

Get in touch with a parent support group (e.g. PR4A). Talk to parents in the waiting areas (waiting to see the professionals). Talk to the professionals. Talking with others will help you to gather information and ideas. It also allows you to share your mixed emotions with others. Emotional support and basic essential information are equally important especially after the diagnosis.

Most parents do not know much about autism. However, parents having children with autism do understand how parents in similar situations feel. Getting in touch with such parents is a vital first step for “new” parents with a child newly diagnosed with autism. Knowing that you are not alone in this struggle is always a great help.
 
Most of the PR4A members communicate by e-mail, through which exchange of information (e.g. where to buy DMG/flashcards, next meeting time and venue, how to start a treatment programme, behaviour problems) is carried out almost on a daily basis.

List of families of children with autism is available from PR4A. (Click here)

Find out all you can about autism. Know the various effective treatment methods.  Understand the behaviour of children with autism and the methods that can be used to manage such behaviours effectively. A list of recommended reading materials is given in here.
 
Knowledge on and treatment for autism are changing so rapidly. To keep up to date, Internet research is a must. However, please note that there is no quality control with the Internet. So please evaluate the information carefully. Discuss the information with your friends, other parents and professionals. Check them out against other sources e.g. books.

A list of relevant Internet website addresses is given in here.
You may also like to join one or more of the listserves available in the Internet. When you join a listserv you may receive 20 to 100 emails everyday! Information is shared or asked for and views and opinions are discussed on these e-mails. A list of Internet listservs and online newsletters available is given in here.

Alternatively, you can join the PR4A’s egroup and/or ask to join many discussion groups under Internet listserves, yahoogroups etc.