Recently my son had to change school. Yet again. Besides the hassle, a nice solution could be found and he really seems to enjoy his new class. It is only part-time but at least he is not fully excluded. The school staff was heartily welcoming and the headmaster sent a message to the parents of his school mates to announce a new friend. The message was nice and certainly well-intentioned. One sentence, though, caught my attention:
Dimir, who suffers from autism, …
Autism is the daily reality of our son and there is no denying a good deal of suffering is involved. But mostly he doesn’t that much suffer from autism than from what is imposed on him as a result of being autistic in a world that does not want to adapt even a little bit. He suffers from the lack of professional staff in schools. From the lack of sensory friendly activities and places in everyday life and 1001 obstacles on his way to, well just a happy life.
He does not suffer from autism. He suffers from the invisible veil behind which he is supposed to remain cloaked because he is different.
The other side of the Lemon 
Dear Pierre, fear not for your son’s autism. I was also diagnosed with autism at a very young age; but my dad’s story (he also suffered autism) is way better.
My dad suffered autism; but back in the days; autism was not a thing; he was just a weird kid. He hated everything about school, it was sublime boredom for him.
One day; at the entrance of the school; he refused to enter; he tried to explain to my grandmother why; but she didn’t understood; being from a low-class family; how could she understand that he didn’t like school? it was the only mean for him to a better life… and beat him again and again all the way up through the 12 steps at the school entrance (this was OK at the time); the same happened the next day and the next one, and the next one… until one day; my father stop refusing; but not because he suddenly liked school; my grandmother was happy that he had finally “understood” the lesson. He said he learned indeed the most valuable lesson of his life in those 12 steps; in a very painful manner; there are things that you cannot change (people) you better learn to “play the game”; act it; fool the others; nobody cares if you are this or that; sometimes not even your parents.
He learned how to socialize with people, to smalltalk, to approach people even if he despised it. He learned to play the life’s game. He later became renowned architect, because of course, he was in-humanly gifted.
When it was my turn it’s was way easier; I had legos, my father bought a computer… and he kind of tried to make it easier for me (no beating for me); he also helped and encouraged me to fully develop e.g. I wrote and published a short story for kids at age 6; but life was hard too. I don’t consider autism a handicap, but a gift, society today treat autism with too much compassion and pity. Trust me Pierre; it’s a handicap until you overcome it; although you really never get rid of it; you just learn to play (act) the life’s game. You become a self-made sociopath. The 12 steps of pain helped my dad to realize it at a very young age; it took longer for me.
And I also did pretty fine (I’m the only of 3 brothers with autism); I got into math competitions, then into competitive programming; IOI, ACM-ICPC world finals… so you see, autism is not a big deal after all. Then I moved to Switzerland where I met you in 2013 (before you were an EPFL’s boss) during a vocational talk for electrical engineering for the CMS; I remember you very well; you are a man with passion. Good luck with Dimir; encourage him to fully develop his talent but don’t over protect him; teach him about the life’s game; an autist won’t become socially skilled naturally but can learn some tricks very well. Life will be way easier for him.
BTW Switzerland has a programming camp for the IOI (International Olympiad in Informatics). It’s for high school; but who knows, programming may attract his attention.