After Phil and Susan Schwarz received a diagnosis for their son, Jeremy, of high functioning autism, they began to think carefully about their own behaviors and histories.
Schwarz, a software developer in Framingham, Mass., found in his son's diagnosis a new language to understand his own life. His sensitivities when growing up to loud noises and bright light, his own diffidence through school, his parents' and grandparents' special intellectual skills -- all echoed through his and Jeremy's behavior, like some ancient rhythm.