Rearing normal kids is hard enough, so it seems many parents find ways to be in denial--not an excuse, but it's pretty common to just assume "they'll grow out of it." I got that a lot -- "it's just a phase." My divergence is mild, I'm a "highly responsive person" and that is, even now, conflated with being introverted, shy, too sensitive, weak, etc. One of the ways I learned more about disability was being a Special Ed teacher, but a good shortcut is watching the film Crip Camp, an astounding documentary which showed--among other things--the battle for ADA laws to get written, passed, and implemented. One of the proponents, herself disabled, noted: "They want us dead." It's harsh, but iit'soften the way people think--highly intolerant to hostile of people who are differently abled.