My brother's kid has severe Autism. She's 3 now & her parents are still in denial (she's very fond of her toy piano). My son has Tourette's along with this as, in many, there are other disorders which can (or not) accompany or go hand & hand with each other. Under my son's umbrella (Tourette's) he has BiPolar. Sometimes these combinations masks one disorder making it very confusing to get to the bottom. Lepus, stay at my house for a week & all those notions will quickly fade. I've lived with having ADHD (I'm medicated, thank God, tried self medicating, what a diaster) never knowing I had anything (but those of us with disorders are the last to see them in ourselves) until exploring my son's condition. The feeling of realizing that all along that there was an explanation for the things other people saw in you that you were blind to.

Talk to those that live these disorders, it may open your eyes & cause your heart to melt.

For the new parent this hits like a ton of bricks & there's no way to brace yourself for what's coming.

A great analogy I've heard for the parents is:

Imagine all your life you've been getting ready to make the last big move. You've read all about living in the tropics, you know the culture inside out, you've already shipped ahead everything you own & discarded what wasn't needed, you've just boarded the plane dressed in your colorful printed short sleeve shirt & your fancy swim trunks. The pilot says the weather is beautiful & the temp is just what you envisioned, you're hitting the beach life. You get off the plane & found that you're in Alaska it's dark, no sun & freezing & you can't go & move back. This is it.

For the kid it's worst, you can't imagine what they live with. To know what they go through & put up with it'd near kill you & your marriage. You never know what's around the corner, will they survive never mind will they make it? You know they're smart but the education system can't be bothered with the burden. In the early stages of parenthood the parents are mostly alone. Your family blames you. You get all the advise except what's of value. You're forever fighting to advocate for them. This is the family's life.

If a pill could wash, even a tiny bit of that away (& it does for the luckier ones) don't think for a second that you & the kid wouldn't feel as if you've just been saved from the continuous drowning since day one & have just sucked in your first breath of fresh air. All to often this relief never comes for many. This is not psychobabble, too often it's like Bedlam.

Barry