We talk about people having different hair colors, eye colors, heights, needing to wear glasses, having food allergies or diabetes, etc. Autism is just one more way that people can be different.

How about just a plain and simple, "Everyone is different" explanation. If you haven't told your son yet then you really don't want to tell his peers yet, if you told them more they might slip and tell your son.

Also it might be time to tell him in simple terms because if his peers are asking then the question will be coming soon and better to do it on your time and not to be pushed into a corner. Even at 7 they can understand. My oldest was told at 8 but he was just diagnosed at 8, my middle was told when he was 6 and my youngest who is NT was told about his brothers when he was 4 1/2.

Thanks for the answer. I think I formulated the question incorrectly though. What I meant by "what would you say" is that when your son is there listening and you have not talked to him about being ASD yet (because he is too young to understand) how can you possibly explain it to another kid, right there in front of your son. It actually happened when i was helping in my son's first grade class. I felt that if I had answered that child's question i somehow was disrespecting my son by talking about him as if he wasn't even there. My son might not show that he is listening when other people talk but i know he pays attention because sometimes he might ask about things he heard maybe several hours before or even days before. Or maybe it is time to explain in very simple form that he is ASD, the same way i explain to him that he is very smart, sensitive or any other quality. Will appreciate any input on this. Thanks!

My son just turned nine and we have not told him. He tends to worry about things and he is in reality a few years behind. He has been tested and he is actually more intelligent that his classmates and also has a photographic memory. He knows he gets pulled out of class to go to his ESE room but we just told him he just needs a little more help than the other kids and he will learn better being in a smaller class.

His sister is severely autistic and nonverbal so he has asked why she cannot talk yet and we just told him some people cannot talk and she is still learning . He asked if she ever will and we told him she might but not like him or us. She is eight and had previously just thought because she was little. He has accepted everything so far so we have not said the word autism to him. It helps that we love in a small town

"His brain is wired differently than most people's. You know how some people are left-handed? That is because their brain is wired that way. Well, [name's] brain is wired to make him have difficulty with talking/etc."