I have cared for a boy starting at 5 years old who has Asperger's syndrome which is a form of Autism. I cared for him off and on for 10 years whenever his mom needed help. I helped him with all hygiene tasks, finding clothes to wear and getting dressed; also with homework, playing games and reading. He now loves to read and can finish a book in less than a day sometimes. Our oldest grandson who will be 18 in October 2012 (actually my husband's) but I love and treat him as my own, lives with us and has some mental challenges that include anger issues, losing his train of thought quickly and is easily confused. He is attending a special needs school and is a senior in high school. He might not be a usual high school senior but with daily help at school and home he does pretty well. I have also cared for a little boy while he was a little over a year who was born approximately 6 months premature, weighing less than 2 pounds. He stayed in the hospital after birth for a little over 5 months. While I was caring for him he had to have breathing treatments as his lungs developed slowly and also had to be careful what he was fed as that too slowed his breathing down and sometimes broke out his rashes.