My former editor and good friend, Annette Fuller, wrote this installment for autism awareness in the Winston-Salem Journal.

That a father would start a company in order to serve his son is no surprise to me. The folks over at nonPareil did the same.

But I was surprised at one statistic he shared with Annette: those of us without disabilities have more than 150 people in our support network. People with disabilities have 10 — and that is the challenge to the rest of us. Are you part of that network for someone with a disability? Maybe you should be.

It’s April and it’s “autism awareness” month. We’re pretty “aware” of autism around the Wolfe house, but I will give my two cents on the many news stories that roll out this month.

I’m happy to see the story today in Parade magazine about the first wave of the autism baby boom turning 20. There are so few programs for adults.

Sam is fortunate to be interning at nonPareil. Gary Moore, one of the directors and founders, tells me there are plenty of kids like Sam out there — some have managed to earn a 4-year degree; Sam will be getting a certificate — and have trouble holding down a job.

Joanne Chen points out in today’s article that 20 percent of adults with autism are employed. Sixty percent are either under-employed or paid below-market wages.

That will be Sam when he graduates. He bags groceries at Albertsons; he could be building computers for someone. He loves it; and as far as I can tell, he’s doing a good job. And like other adults with autism, he doesn’t mind repetitive work.

Who will hire him?

P.S. Happy Birthday to the Family Room blog, sometimes better known as the Overheard in the Wolfe House blog, but still oneyear old today.