According to AutismSpeaks, autism refers to a broad range of conditions often characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication.

If you ask Amy, however, the father of her 2-year-old son, Gene, is “the best partner ever,” and his autism diagnosis was like “getting a superpower.”

“All of his behavior is kind of excused now,” she joked. “If someone’s telling a long, boring story, he will straight up just walk away. He’ll just wander away, and I’m just still stuck there.”