Having a child with a disability (autism); this is something thats been weighing on my mind recently with him starting primary school next year.

If our son were any further along the spectrum we would definately have utilised the specialised school they have up here for children with Autism etc. We are lucky enough though that he was diagnosed early and at this point in time should be able to intergrate into mainstream school with minimal problems. He will still have a personal aide as well as the teachers aide already in the classroom.
I do worry about how he will be received but the private school our children do/will attend have a fair few special needs kids ranging from high functioning autism to children who are deaf, in wheelchairs, missing limbs etc. They seem to have one of the most tolerant school communities Ive seen so it definately alleviates my fear a little. Im not worried about our eldest son being teased for having a brother with special needs, he knows Ripley is different and sometimes can be a little bit unusual but thats ok because no one is the same and we should love people for their differences. If anything I think it will benefit Ripley having siblings attend the same school, so he has someone to lean on should he need it.

I definately think maybe people should talk more to their children about these issues. I try to do it with mine, especially because at this point in time Ripley is still largely unaware he has special needs but eventually with going to school he will become aware of it and I would want him to remember the talks we've had about people being different and that its perfectly ok. The one thing Ive learnt is that ridicule for people who arent "normal" is a learnt behaviour in children; all our friends kids who have known Ripley forever wouldnt even recognise that he has special needs, he is just 'Ripley' to them. Same goes for his brothers. Its only when we make it a big issue that it becomes an issue.