For the parents of an autistic child, such comparisons can be dangerous.

NPR: Why Can't Doctors Diagnose Autism?

And the father of an autistic child.

FORBES: The Disease of More

Due to this lapse in expertise and awareness of this mental condition, parents are often in the dark and without guidance in diagnosing and caring for their autistic child.

FORBES: Autism Is Not Just An American Thing

If families had been sold stripped-down plans and tried, as individuals, to buy supplemental coverage for autism insurers would realize that they likely have an autistic child, predict high costs, and price the supplemental plan accordingly.

FORBES: Here's How Stripping Down Health Care Reform Benefits to the Bare Bones Will Backfire and Drive Up Costs

From GPS devices and computer programs that help relatives track a wandering Alzheimer's patient to iPad apps that help an autistic child communicate, a growing number of tools for the smartphone, the tablet and the laptop are catering to beleaguered caregivers.

WSJ: Beleaguered caregivers getting help from apps

The National Autism Association conducted an online poll and 92 percent of parents said that their autistic child had a tendency to wander.

FORBES: Autistic Children Who Wander Have New Code and Medical Resources They Can Access

Dr. Gordon and Kevin Pelphrey, director of the Child Neuroscience Laboratory at Yale, recently published preliminary results from a study on autistic kids ages 7 to 18.

WSJ: Looking Beyond Oxytocin, the Love Drug | Marvels

In 2004 the autistic daughter of Marvin and Suzette Josif, then 4 years old, was accepted at the New York Child Learning Institute, a private school in Queens, N.

FORBES: A Costly Education