The following Parents Speakcolumn is a discussion of the frustrations experienced by many parents of children with autism and related disorders when seeking help for their child. The focus is on the doctor (therapist)-patient relationship. Although Mary Akerley's provocation is animated by years of personal experience, the issues she identifies may also represent the position of the National Society for Autistic Children. Regardless of the style of the column's presentation and the reader's reaction, some very real issues in the patient-doctor relationship are indicated. They include some of the following knotty problems: The importance of diagnosis and the confusion attending the limited meaning of diagnostic labels. Should other members of the family be protected against infringements by the needs of the handicapped child and what is the doctor's part in this? What are the differences between family and social responsibilities in coping with the child's handicaps, and what is the professional's role in this division of labor? Does the professional relationship require social advocacy, and in what form? Perhaps the most overriding concern expressed in this column is the problem of insufficient trust in the doctor-patient relationship and suggestions for how it might be improved.—(Ed.)