Ned Batchelder is a (Python) programmer who has to deal daily with the autism that afflicts his oldest son:
For most people, the degree of examination is a matter of choice, a reflection of your interest in introspection and self-awareness. Most people can adjust their level of self-examination to balance the effort with the reward. With an autistic child, there is little room for laying back and letting things be. "Go with the flow" doesn't usually apply.
His wife Susan Senator is a writer and activist, who has just published the book Making Peace with Autism: One FamilyÂ’s Story of Struggle, Discovery, and Unexpected Gifts. Ned is asking his friends, readers, and fellow programmers to help raise his wife's Google ranking:
Could I ask a favor? Susan's name makes Google searches difficult. Searching for "Susan Senator" tends to find Senators named Susan, and "Sue Senator" is worse: there are lots of news stories about people suing their senators. Here's the favor: make a link to Susan Senator to help Google find its way.
It's an easy favor to grant, and maybe reading Ned and Susan's experiences will make you stop for a while, and give some thought to many important things we all take for granted in our daily lives.