Which brings Attwood to his first bit of advice. Because there is so much individual variation in Asperger's, it's the parents' responsibility to become the expert on their child. With an enrollment of 23, it is one of only a few elementary schools in the United States for children with Asperger's. Parents may have their first hint that something is different about their child when he's 3 or 4. If you are furious, he thinks he's in danger.
Survival instincts take over.
He'll hit you because he thinks you're going to hit him, even if you never have before. Your child doesn't have equipment to integrate the threads, or he focuses on one thread and reacts in a distorted way. He doesn't have to work so hard. Most parents quickly decide they'll do anything to keep their child from suffering like this again. It's a wise decision, says Attwood, but one fraught with difficulty.