Hi, Deeann! I have a son who will be 17 on Saturday with autism. He's go a genius I.Q., extraordinary problem solving skills, but the emotional age of a preschooler. His communication skills are like a 2 year old. I've been told by a doctor who had worked with autistic children for over 20 years that my son has the most challenging mix of ability and disability he'd ever encountered and in the same breath said he prayed for me daily. It certainly has been interesting, to say the least. Right now he goes to a wonderful school and has a great teacher. Sarasota is one of the leading school systems for autism. I don't know how you manage with two. I have a 19 year old who does not have autism and it's hard enough dealing with him. He's a great kid and loves his brother, but he does tend to provoke his brother quite a bit. I call it "bear poking". Plus I've had to deal with a lot of,"How come I have to do this and HE doesn't?" It's been a real challenge trying to deal fairly with both according to their unique characters. How do you handle things like that? Debbie Sarasota

Hi DeeAnn, I just happened to find this by browsing and saw your post..... I have 3 children. My oldest has autism ( high functioning) and ADHD. He is very clever acedemically, however his social skills need some work. He is now 11. I also have another boy who is 10 and is diag. ADHD with ODD. My daughter is 8 and "normal". They are all great kids, but somedays I find my patience wearing very thin. I would love to swap stories. Would esp. like to hear how your boys are doing in their adolescent years as it won't be long before my boys are crossing that bridge. Are your boys in mainstream classes, get resource help? Would love to hear from you.... Sherri~