Alli and Andre Fallot knew from the time their son Alex was 3 years old that something just wasn't right with him.

"We couldn't exactly put our finger on what it was," Alli said.

They found out what it was a short time later.

When Alex was in first grade, he was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder that is characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction, along with restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests.

Now 9 years old, Alex doesn't always look people in the eye when talking to them, doesn't pick up on various social and conversational nuisances and has a hard time interpreting people's emotions and what they mean in a social setting.

"He takes everything (that's spoken) as very literal," Alli said.

It also takes Alex longer to make friends, and that has been hard given the family constant relocation due to Andre's career in the Army.

After spending time at military bases in Kansas and Texas, the Fallots have now taken on the challenge of providing a solid support network for Alex while the family is stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (Andre, a lieutenant colonel, is a pediatrician at Madigan Army Medical Center).

"He wants friends more than anything else," Alli said.

Because autism cases range across such a large spectrum, it's often more difficult to find care that caters to those with Asperger syndrome, Alli said.

"There just aren't a lot of places in the South Sound," she said.

While TRICARE does an adequate job of the coverage it offers to the family, most care centers (that cater to Asperger syndrome and not severe autism cases) are located in and around Seattle, Alli said. While there are some centers in the local area, the one the Fallots found has a one-year waiting list.

It's also difficult to get coverage from some of Alex's treatment due to the fact TRICARE has a tendency to choose one type of therapy to treat autism, Alli said. TRICARE also does not cover the cost of social skills classes Alex takes.

To get the best care possible, Alli recommends military members with children with Asperberger syndrome visit the base's Exceptional Family Member Program office.

"The office is such a help, but you have to actively search for the help," she said.

The Fallots have also managed to go the extra mile within the local school district to help their son. That includes getting involved in the classroom and doing their best to educate those working with Alex about his condition.

"Many people don't understand Aspergers," Alli said.

It has also helped that Alli and Andre walk Alex through any new classroom at school, whether it means showing him the entire campus or just walking him through the different classrooms.

"The more normal things are, the more comfortable he is," she said.