My son, Joshua Blake, is only eight years old, yet he's faced more in his brief life than a lot of kids have done.

For starters, Joshie has autism.  He doesn't relate to people all that well, and his thought processes are way below average.  He is in the special-needs class at his school.  He is often teased by the other kids because he is so shy, quiet, and withdrawn. This only makes his problems worse.

Secondly, he is tiny for his age.  At the age of eight, he is only as big as a minute, and he is extremely thin.  It's not because he is sickly: other than his autism, he is surprisingly healthy.  He's just built little.  Joshie is built like me, his mama.

Third, Joshua has a big wart on his nose; this is another reaason why the kids make fun of him.  We have been discussing the possibllity of having the wart removed, but Joshie is terrified of doctors and nurses (let alone, needles).  The last time we took him for a check up he nearly tore the doctor's office apart; we had to leave early because the doctor couldn't cope with his screaming outbursts.

It was nothing short of embarrassing.

If there is one thing that does bring Joshua joy, it is his four bunny rabbits.  He has four dwarf Dutch rabbits (two are black and white, the third is a warm teddybear-brown, and the last one is a solid, inky-black).  The rabbits are his world; he takes great pride in taking care of them, making sure their cages are kept clean, taking care of their waste, feeding/watering them several times a day, and petting them, giving them all the love a sad, lonely little boy with autism can muster.

We got Joshua the bunnies last year; they've since become his best friends.  He doesn't talk much to us, or to other people, but he regularly talks to his bunny friends, and they've caused him to open up in ways that no human being could ever do.  The change in him has been startling.

The other kids know about his rabbits.  They tease him about the rabbits, too, calling him "Bugs Bunny", "Bunny-Boy", and other less than kind monikers.  Joshua tries to ignore them, but he can only take so much, and then he blows his top; then we are called to the school to come take him home because the school can't handle his outbursts.  It seems to be nothing but a vicious cycle.

I am worried that the constant teasing from the other kids will cause our son to want to kil himself.  He already feels bad about his disabilities; why make him feel even worse about himself??

I can tell you this much: if the teasing from the other kids doesn't stop soon, we may have to pull Joshua out of school and start teaching him ourselves here at home!

*to be continued.*