Shannon Des Roches Rosa goes by Squid Rosenberg in the interwebs, where she writes about being a mom to three -- including Leo, who has autism. Her blog, Squidalicious, is equal parts hilarious and heartwarming. We love her so much, we know you will too.

To help us celebrate Mother's Day, here is one of her magical mom moments: when her son on the spectrum was just like everyone else's kid playing in the local park:

Leo has socializing opportunities aplenty -- around town, with all the people and kids who come to visit and swim and cook with us, during excursions. But those interactions are all heavily managed, to help him avoid sensory overstimulation, and so he won't pull a frustrated HULK SMASH on me, his sisters, or unsuspecting passersby. It breaks my heart to write this, but: he is not a free-range boy, not in scenarios where other children are running wild. It's too risky.

It's every parent's dream to have their child grow up and graduate from high school. But when do you give up on that dream? When do you say, "OK, that's what some kids do. Some kids, but maybe not my kid?" Sinclaire Coffer's parents aren't there yet. 

Their 17-year-old son has taken a math test -- required by the State of Georgia for a high school senior to graduate -- five times. And every single time, Coffer has failed. But because their son has autism, Coffer's parents think their son should get to graduate anyway.

Get ready for your weekend inspiration, everybody, with a side of musical accompaniment. What's better than that? I can tell you what's better than that, if Billy Joel himself waltzed into 6-year-old Ethan's house and sat down on the bench for a rollicking rendition of "Piano Man." Not that Ethan's version needs any help. Did I mention Ethan was only 6 years old?

Yes, this kid is only 6 but can pound that piano in a way that will put the average "Chopsticks" player to shame. Also, his passion for singing is quite extraordinary.

Check out this amazoids video.

You probably know at least one family affected by autism. Recent figures say one in every 88 kids have an autism spectrum disorder.

In Angie's family, the figure is two out of three...her son has Asperger's and one of her twin daughters has mild autism. But instead of asking "why me?" she's giving back to families like hers.

Angie volunteers for Autism Speaks, a nationwide organization that raises funds for research into the causes of autism and its treatment. Angie's hope is that someday there will be a cure for autism, and she's doing what she can to help that happen.

Stuart Chaifetz said he knew something was wrong when his 10-year-old son Akian started acting out school. Akian has autism, but had always been "sweet and non-violent." So when things took a turn, his dad said he wanted to find out why.

When meetings with school officials at his Cherry Hill, N.J., school and therapists failed, he took action into his own hands. He wired Aikan and sent him to school. The six hours of audio he recorded confirmed his worst fears.  

"The rate of autism was 1 in 10,000 births just 10 years ago ... now it's 1 in 100!" There's something about seeing those numbers printed that really makes an impact, isn't there? That's basically how this entire Autism and Asperger's Awareness video works: By flashing a series of facts, quotes, and statistics that are impossible to ignore -- not to mention informative, no matter how much you know (or think you know) about autism.

Like most moms today, I've picked up a few autism-related facts here and there -- but I'm certainly not an expert on the topic. There's so much to learn, so much to remember. So much to understand.

And the truth is, no one really can understand. Which is why videos like this one are so helpful -- they force us to look at life from the perspective of someone with autism.

When we heard about the link between maternal obesity and autism, we thought it made sense, sad as that discovery is. After all, obesity during pregnancy is linked to other risk factors for infants. So it's not surprising that our typical diet of highly processed food is also linked with autism.

The problem here isn't so much with what processed food puts into our bodies -- it's what it keeps our bodies from eliminating. High frutcose corn syrup can cause mineral deficiencies, which in turn can prevent our bodies for getting rid of toxic chemicals in our systems.

Put a handful of kids with autism in the same room together, and you'll have a hard time finding just two with the exact same diagnosis. But throw a couple hundred parents of kids with autism in the same room, and you'll find they all have one thing in common. They've been inspired by their amazing kids to make a difference in the world.

The growing number of kids on the spectrum has resulted in a growing number of people like Jonathan Singer. Since daughter Rebecca -- now a teenager -- was diagnosed in 1997, Singer has helped found an academy for kids with autism, written two books about special needs children, and driven cross country to raise money for the cause.

He's a hero for the special needs community. And now he needs your help.