Imagine a scene. A 5-year-old boy holding his mom's hand heads into a packed auditorium to see an Elmo show. Suddenly and without warning, he breaks into a full-body tantrum, starts shrieking at high pitch, pounds his head with both fists, and rams his skull into the floor. Everyone is watching, horrified and afraid. This kid obviously does not want to go into that show. And just as they expect them to leave, his mother leaps on top of him full force, pins him to the ground and drags him inch by inch toward the show, obviously against his will.
This child — my child — has autism and an intense fear of unfamiliar places. But he can make it into that show, and when he does, he will have have made a small step to changing the course of his life.