Three people discuss Matt, a young man on the autism spectrum. One friend worries about his loneliness as an only child. Another speaker says families often see an autism diagnosis as a "death sentence" because it threatens basic social interaction, and stresses that hope matters most.
We occasionally have to go on an even keel. We have to talk about what they want to talk about. We have to listen to their opinions because we are expecting the exact same thing out of them.
It's hard to go through college without having a friend.
When we present our weaknesses, when we present our weaker side, there's the possibility of rejection.
The reason we stay close and really in tune with Matt is because we're 2 of his best friends. He's an only child, so we've always worried that when we were gone that, that, you know, he would be alone.
Important things that you give families with autism is hope. Because with the diagnosis of autism, it's essentially a death sentence. You're saying your child is not going to do the things that you expect your child to do in a very fundamental human level— interact, communicate, socially engage.
