What Evan has that many autistic kids don't

There is probably nothing more important to a family facing life with an autistic child than a supportive extended family. When grandparents, especially, try to pretend that nothing's wrong, or blame your lack of parenting skills, or try to tell you exactly what to do ... well, let's just say it's not helpful.

We have been blessed with incredibly supportive families on both the Morris and Rust sides. People who love Evan unconditionally, forgive his rudeness, melt at his sincere apologies, listen to detailed descriptions of Spider-man battles (or nicely excuse themselves), have already forgotten that we left most holiday events for years because of Evan's angry and overstimulated rages, and celebrate every achievement and step forward.

These are aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents who have spent hours and days with our family and have had a glimpse of how unpredictable and emotional our beloved son can be. They've seen us stress out, handle situations with compassion, break down in tears, freak out. They've taught the cousins to be kind and gracious and flexible with Evan even when that is not easy. They've kept their mouths shut when they would have handled things differently and they've offered words of loving encouragement when they knew we needed it.

Thank you to each and every one of you. You have carried us through these last five years ... and more importantly you are helping to create a smart little boy who knows he's loved, understands why silliness is essential to life, and just happens to have Asperger's Syndrome.