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Monday, April 9, 2012

Help, Please?

   A few days ago, a friend asked me point blank why I decided to create this blog. I told her it was because I had nobody to turn to when I was diagnosed, and neither did my parents.
  
    When I was diagnosed as a nine year old, few people understood exactly what Asperger's was in the first place. My mother went into denial that I was even slightly autistic, because what parent wants to hear that their child will never be completely normal?

    At the time, my mother turned to the one person she knew who had a son with Asperger's. James (not his real name) was in the grade above me at my middle school. When my mother went to James's mother, who happened to be a psychologist, for advice, help, or heck, consolation, his mother told mine point blank: "James has never had a friend in his life, so don't get such high hopes for your daughter."  James was not as high functioning as I am.  He walked oddly and spoke with a high pitched voice.  I recall his mother telling mine she wasn't sure if James would test into the highly academic Catholic high school we were both hoping to attend.

    Well, long story short, we went our separate ways although we both did eventually get into that high school.  A  few weeks ago, I saw him at the movies with some friends and said hello.  He walked better and his voice had gone down and he seemed much to have matured into a confident young man.   He said he wished he could have helped me in middle school, but he didn't understand much himself.  He told me he had actually worked, just like I had, on schoolwork and making friends. He was so different and I was so happy for him. James had also become, since I had last seen him, a National Merit Scholar and is going to a prestigeous university next fall. This was the same boy who didn't think he could go to a highly academic high school!

    Moral of the story, Aspies, don't get discouraged because you are different. You will find a way to shine through the darkness.

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