There’s a famous essay in special-needs circles called Welcome to Holland, about the fact that your life with your child is not what you planned, but it has its own joys. Our experience with autism wasn’t quite like that, and a number of other autism parents we’ve talked to felt the same.

Now a mother of an autistic sums it up: Holland Schmolland. I think it perfectly captures the feel of a family living with autism:

For citizens of Schmolland, it is quite normal to repeat lines from videos to express emotion. If you are sad, you can look downcast and say “Oh Pongo.” When mad or anxious, you might shout, “Snow can’t stop me!” or “Duchess, kittens, come on!” Sometimes, “And now our feature presentation” says it all. In Schmolland, there’s not a lot to do, so our citizens find amusement wherever they can. Bouncing on the couch for hours, methodically pulling feathers out of down pillows, and laughing hysterically in bed at 4:00am, are all traditional Schmutch pastimes.