A heart shattered by a glimpse into autism - CNN.com

As a parent of a teenager with autism, I often think about his future without me to watch over him. The thought of him in an institution makes me flinch, but it's probably where he may end up, when I'm no longer in this world, no matter how much I may want something better, not anyone can take the daily task of watching over a person with autism. It takes guts and unconditional love. The thought of him on the streets is not something I worry about, because he is so severe he would always have to be taken care of one on one. What will the future hold for these souls who will be coming of age in droves, in the coming years? Will they end up like the man in the following story-alone, homeless, forgotten and mistreated by society?

I pulled into the parking lot of the store and found a spot right in front of the entrance. I sat there for a few minutes, collecting what I needed to take in.

As I reached over to the passenger seat to grab my wallet, I glanced over at the car next to me through the passenger window and saw three people who were loading their groceries into their car. I also saw a large man standing there, reaching over the hood of their car. He was wiping the snow and ice off the car's windshield with his bare hands.

The owner of the vehicle looked at him with an icy stare that seemed to say, "How dare you touch my car."

She seemed disgusted just breathing the same air as the man cleaning her windshield. Instead of asking him to stop or giving him a few dollars, she quickly climbed into her car and gunned the car forward so fast the man was knocked back.

A heart shattered by a glimpse into autism - CNN.com:

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