Hi, Mom2,

It happens a lot that when a child is diagnosed on the autism spectrum, the parents figure themselves (or other family members) out. DH and I have looked at our family tree in a new light, and we see an awful lot of traits that do show that DS doesn't come from Mars... he comes from us, for sure.

The good thing we see in it is this: yes, many of us in this family are unusual, but hey, look, we're functioning, even the ones of us who are most AS-like. That gives us great hope that DS will be capable of an independent life in the world, too.

You can see yourself as underachieving if you prefer, but I would rather say, gosh, if you're 2E, you're probably doing really well with what you've got. To me, that's achieving.

DeeDee