My son is autistic (high-functioning autism - you'd probably not notice it without knowing what to look for). He was having serious problems before his diagnosis. We didn't know what was wrong or what to do. Once he got diagnosed, however, doors were flung wide open for him and us. He got the help he needed and he's simply flourished ever since. He still has some issues that have to be dealt with from time to time (like when we went to a Twins game recently and as we were waiting to go back to the hotel, he saw it was past 10 p.m. and it really upset him), but we know how to handle them. Autism is not a fraud or a scam. It's a very real, very serious affliction that is still very, very misunderstood and often unrecognized.