Last night, in a discussion with a friend, I was told I needed to stop treating Sam like he is different. 

Now, I can't stop thinking about this.

Sam has been different since the day he was born:

• He was only 24 weeks at birth, but was considered large for his "age".
• He was off the vent in 3 days and never looked back.
• He never had a brain bleed.
• He was out of the NICU before his due date. 
• His lungs have always been strong.
• He has only (yes - only) had two specialists... But never overlapping.
• He is autistic, but in a unique and different way.
• He is fully bilingual, but shows a dominance in Spanish even though he will no longer let me speak to him in Spanish. 

In other words, I have known Sam was different from Day 1 and I have treated him as such. 

But now, as Sam is preparing to turn five, I need to face the idea that treating Sam as different is no longer what is best for him. Now, treating him as different might be holding him back. 

I want Sam to learn to swim, but have not put him in lessons out of fear that the teacher may not be trained to teach a kid with Autism. 

I want Sam to participate in team sports - like soccer or baseball. Again, I have not signed him up because he is different. 

Hell, I want Sam to have playdates, but have never arranged one because I am scared since Sam is different. 

I think in all instances I am afraid Sam will fail or not be accepted so I am standing in the way and hiding behind the fact that Sam is different. 

Can this be really as easy as my friend's advice and I just need to stop treating Sam like he is different?  

Is that even something I will be able to do?  

And... How do I do that?