Ask someone with Asperger's syndrome.

[J a c k]

As a parent of a child on the spectrum, I have zero doubt that it’s not just a personality thing. It’s not just his learning disability (he’s only advanced in specific areas, but can’t grasp anything that isn’t systematic like math. He loves math.), but it’s a whole combination of things. Just raising him I have developed a love and connection with kids on the spectrum and also for kids with learning disabilities. This is why I want to switch the focus of my career towards them. Nobody could possibly understand what a parent of a child with autism goes through on a daily basis, unless they have lived it. I had to learn to communicate differently, to understand him differently, to help him deal with his frustrations of a world that is not fixed just for him. I’ve had to learn to make home feel like home by not allowing certain scents, or sounds to invade our space. Give him the tools he needs to deal with his stress when routines change. And I look at him just the way he is and I hope he knows how much I fucking love him and that I’m committed to continue learning.