Liz Atwood talks about friends with disabilities this Tween Tuesday: 

One of the things that's really neat about my 8-year-old son's circle of friends is the diversity I see; not just racial or ethnic diversity, but children with many different disabilities.

On Saturday, we went trick-or-treating with one of his friends who is diabetic, and I watched in amazement as the child nonchalantly checked his blood sugar level between knocking on doors and gobbling up candy.

In my son’s scout troop, there is a boy in a wheelchair, and another boy with one leg shorter than the other. My son loves playing with them all and is not fazed in the least by their disabilities.

But one disability that is not so obvious is autism. I know of one boy in his class and another in scouts who are autistic. Both are smart and do fairly well in the groups as far as I can tell. But occasionally their behavior bothers my son, who doesn’t know there is a medical reason behind their actions. I have told him that he needs to be tolerant and that everyone has behavior quirks, but I wonder if I’m not doing a disservice to him and his friends by failing to acknowledge the disability that cannot be seen.

I asked Carolyn Martin, admissions director at Hanah Moore School in Reisterstown, whether children should be told when another child in their group has autism. "I think it's important that classmates understand others' disabilities," she said. But she added that I shouldn't tell my son about his friends' autism unless their parents give their OK.

There are lots of questions about this subject.

Hanah Moore is going to offer a free community program Monday, Nov. 9, called “Hooked on Lemon Drops” to explain some of the implications of autism. Nancy Schmitt, the curriculum coordinator at the school, will lead the discussion, which will explore the pitfalls and pathways of interacting with children on the autistic spectrum. Her presentation identifies the differences between autism and Asperger Syndrome, provides tips and tactics for interacting with children on the spectrum, and more.

The program will be offered from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Hannah More School, 12039 Reisterstown Road, Reisterstown. Call 410-526-5000 to RSVP or for more details.