See… diagnosed autistic at 35, but you lived a life – an amazing one by the details of it – before that diagnosis and continue to do so. People seem to think a diagnosis on the Spectrum means a non-functioning developmentally broken person. Parents resist accepting a diagnosis for their kids – and without it, their kids don't get the support they need to thrive.

My son was diagnosed by a developmental psychologist as, "on the Spectrum" and "definitely ADHD, possibly very high functioning Asperger's." I admit, I balked when the school counselor advised having him evaluated because she thought he might be autistic. I had so many misconceptions about what that meant.

Honestly, I imagined Rain Man. I thought: Not my boy. He's so affectionate and communicative. He's too smart and outgoing for that. He's so readily helpful and kind.

But, I'm so glad listened. He got the support he need early, at the end of 1st grade. My son flourished with his IEP from the 2nd grade onward through the rest of elementary school. The program at his middle school floundered and failed rather spectacularly. But, those years in elementary school helped him learn his own ways to work with his ADHD. He graduated from a prestigious magnate high school HSCA in June 2022. He's working now as an EMT (he says he's a "ditch nurse"), while studying to be an advanced paramedic.