Having kids is a gamble. Having a child diagnosed with Autism (as my won was at the age of 2) is a gamble as well. We lost the first bet, but like you, seem to

Having kids is a gamble. Having a child diagnosed with Autism (as my won was at the age of 2) is a gamble as well. We lost the first bet, but like you, seem to be doing better on the second one. We (my wife and I) wagered nearly everything - our financial resources, career changes, intense daily effort for years, endless therapies (PLAY, ABA, RDI, OT, PT, Aqua, you name it), and the gamble has "paid off". Upon first meeting few would pick up on our son's 'quirkyness'. Our ABA records indicate it took my son 600 tries to learn the color red. Today, its his favorite color... and I'm perfectly fine with that. The process changed my son... but he's happy, well functioning, has friends, has opinions, has ideas (some kinda wacky!) but I'd do it all again in a heart beat. Overall, the effort has cost us (financially, health, atrophied tech skills , even socially), but it's all worth it for him. There's no comparison between hearing a roaring belly laugh from him vs. him perseverating on some toy car. Keep it up and I wish you the best!