Hmmm. It was the '80s, so I don't remember a lot of the specifics. But there's a lot more public awareness and support now than when I was growing up, so there'

Hmmm. It was the '80s, so I don't remember a lot of the specifics. But there's a lot more public awareness and support now than when I was growing up, so there's that. I guess the main thing for dealing with any autistic people is to remember that they're bad both at emoting and at reading others' emotions. If he seems insensitive sometimes, it may be that he doesn't realize he's being hurtful, or it may be that he's actually very upset but is shutting down and can't express himself effectively. We can learn to be better at both of those, but it doesn't come naturally. This was less of a problem for me, but I've heard about autistic kids who frequently got yelled at/punished and genuinely didn't understand why, and that can be very damaging; you wind up afraid to do anything for fear of violating unknown and unspoken rules. So, I guess, try to be patient and talk to him when he acts out. Remember also that he may not be able to put his reasons for things into words, especially if he's upset or feeling pressured; that doesn't mean he doesn't have a reason. Be patient, do your homework, listen to his doctors, be willing to talk to his teachers and go to bat for him at school, and I'm sure you'll do all right.