I laughed so hard I nearly spit my latte on the “gene pool” comments. The boy is beautiful because my wife is. I was simply the straw that stirred the drink.

On a serious note, it is due to guys like Craig that the second annual autism awareness campaign has thrived. As I said to Craig in email, there is a parent somewhere right now seeing the signs of autism in their child, and wondering if it is indeed the case.

On a personal note, the most difficult thing is not raising a child with autism. The most difficult thing is dealing with how society sees children on the autism scale. There are days when Travis simply isn’t in the mood to go into a bustling public place, and when it’s time to go for him, it’s time to go. The public stares, mutters under their breath, often times, the word “brat”. The word “autism” is not tattooed on his forehead. The public simply sees a child having a meltdown.

My personal plea is this… When you see a parent dealing with a difficult child, don’t always assume that the child is unruly and know better. The child you see could well have a disorder, such as autism. As they say… never judge the book by its cover.

Thanks for the shoutout, Craig. Thanks to all that clicked through to read information on autism.

—Maury