My son, Ethan, is 7 years old. He is a brother, grandson, nephew and cousin. He also has autism. I'd like to share with you a bit about our experience and what it's been like to live with a child with autism.

First, I had to wrap my head around the fact that Ethan had a condition that wasn't just going to go away and that would need comprehensive, intensive, long-term care. I never expected to have a child with special needs. That was something that happened to "other people." I had always considered myself as a strong someone doing the magnanimous giving; certainly not a someone doing the weak, frightened, overwhelmed, isolated receiving.