For me, the joys and challenges are a bit different, as my son has Asperger syndrome, which is a form of autism. He can speak very well but has huge problems with social understanding, so some of my biggest joys have been when he has done little things that most parents take for granted - like when he first gave me a spontaneous hug. He was five before this happened but it was well worth the wait! Another joy is seeing him learning to read, and also developing a big interest in history. I teach him at home, so I am sharing this interest with him for the first time as I hated history at school! One more joy (there are so many!) is hearing him sing. He goes to a singing club and has developed enough confidence to sing in front of the group. I nearly burst with pride when he first did this!

I certainly echo the challenges already posted on this topic, such as being consistent, using discipline fairly, using time wisely etc. Having a child with aspergers also presents unique challenges, like dealing with major temper tantrums in a 7 year old (I can't just put him under my arm and remove him from the situation any more!) Another big challenge is that when my son hurts himself or is upset, he doesn't want to be cuddled and comforted like most children would. I have found this really hard to deal with, because as a parent you just want to 'make it all better'. My son also needs supervising much more than other children his age, so this can be hard work.

As with many things in life though, the joys more than make up for the challenges!