It's only recently have I been okay with declaring to myself and to other people, "Yeah, this is harder than regular parenting."

Raising a kid with Autism, that is.

In the past, I've sorta brushed it aside, written it off. "Oh, it's not that big of a deal. It's just different," I would say nonchalantly, while inside, I tried to take another deep breath and not think about the latest round of challenges we had faced that week.

Or, I'd say things like, "Some parents take their kids to soccer and d...