The author, coming through the hard times with RainyThe moment I knew for certain that something was wrong with my toddler was on her 3rd birthday, when she hid in our garage from the Disney princess we’d hired to entertain her and her friends.Rainy loved watching the magicalprincesses on television and had yearned for Sleeping Beauty to visit our home. So we proudly hired a genuine ex-princess from Disneyland, thinking we’d win some kind of parenting trophy. Instead, as Sleeping Beauty tried to dote on Rainy, she pulled away, uncomfortable with the eye contact and the infringement upon her physical boundaries. It wasn’t until we asked Sleeping Beauty to leave, rushing her out with apologies and a large tip, that Rainy finally calmed down.  That night, my partner Johnny and I understood something we never had before: our daughter wasn’t just shy or quirky. She needed help. During Rainy’s first 3 years, we had noticed that she avoided other kids, struggling to handle the sounds, excitement and demands of group play. As a baby, Rainy had hated to be held or interacted with by strangers, or anyone who wasn’t us.