Hi, I don't typically post here but I clicked on a discussion that was highlighted on the ivillage homepage..  I wanted to ask what kinds of autism your children have.  My daughter is 13 and she's in 8th grade, She's gotten services of one kind or another since kindergarten.  She's in special ed for a learning disability but I've gotten opinions from both school and an independent counselor that she may fall in the autism spectrum.  I am skeptical of this for several reasons, Mostly b/c I don't know what difference it would make to the services she is already getting.  But secondly, There is the social element that weighs heavily on me now, As a middle school I hear a lot more of the "I'm different" stuff and while I know some of that is normal I see a lot of social skill deficiencies that are symptoms of autism too, She's a happy go lucky kid but she can go off on a tangent and create a mountain out of small things, She is smart and she thrives on structure...  I don't know but next year she transitions to high school, I'm sure that's going to bring all kinds of new discoveries, Lol.  I have a call out to her pediatrician about things too.  I was just curious how your own autistic kids operate, How you knew it was that and where they are both academically and away from school!  Thanks, Jeanne