Until you have seen your child bang their head on the wall,
Until you have seen your child bleed from their own biting,
Until you have seen yourself bleed from your child's biting,
Until you have to explain that the bruises on your body are from a four year old,
Until you have hugged you child in desperation while they hit and scream,
Until you have had the love of your life look at you no different than a wall,
Until you have had perfect strangers shun you like the plague,
Until you have had your marriage hit rock bottom,

You will not know how deep a parent’s despair can go.


Until you have the same child now kiss you gently,
Until you hear the sweet words of a child who has not be able to talk,
Until you hear this child's first attempt at a joke,
Until you sleep the whole night through when you thought you never would,
Until you realize you just had your first quite day in years,
Until you have had this same child demand your eye contact,
Until you see this same child run wild in a pack of other children,
Until you have this same child tell you to behave,

You will not know how high a parent's delight can soar.


Until you can listen to the same topic for the billionth time with a smile,
Until you accept that your child may never experience adult love,
Until you come to the realization that your child may never move out and that's o.k.,
Until you come to realize that without Autism your life would not be the same,
Until you realize that without you as parents your child may not have Autism,
Until you realize that without you as parents your child may not overcome Autism,


Until then,
You have no idea how it feels to think

"Can we do this all over again?"