No, indeed Autism is not a gift. If it is, I wish it was one which my 29 year old daughter had never been given. But we have been lucky, when she was younger, my wife fought hard for her. Firstly at that time Autism was not a recognised condition in the UK, so it took three years or more to get a diagnosis. Secondly we had to fight to get our Local Authority, recognised as a "good" one as far as Special Needs were concerned, to fund a place for her at a special residential school and when the time came for her to move to Adult Care, one of the helpers demanded that she be re-diagnosed! MP's came in very helpful at all these points - both Tory and Labour members showed themselves to be helpful and caring people. We have been lucky also in the help we have had both from schools and her current home, the latter is almost a part of our extended family.
BUT we have suffered. Our marriage, thank God, has survived, but we went through hell to get where we are today.
Autism touches each person differently, our daughter has no speech and is incapable of living independently, but others in a different part of the Spectrum/Circle are recognised genii who have difficulty in personal relationships. But we love them all the same because they are our children and we fight for them against the world - which I find in my reading of even the most "outrageous" contribution above, and I praise God for it. WE CARE FOR OUR KIDS!

Thank you for listening.