From my own experience as the parent of a 10-year-old diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome, it is becoming quite wonderful and very interesting noticing the differences between him and his siblings. Certainly, there is a bit of anxiety and depression in my house, but those issues are worked through instead of being dwelled upon. Our Asperger kid loves to make messes. We wait for these messes to happen, and as such, are usually up to our ears in cleaning supplies. But hey, most kids make messes, but it’s the way that our Aspie makes the messes that’s more interesting than what the other kids do.
But messes are not his special interest. For Aspies, this special interest can be anything, from the inner workings of fast-food potato fryers, to the technological specifications of breast implants, or even the hows and why of hair removal. For our Aspie the special interest is not computers, but the ways in which computers can communicate across the world. High speed and wireless internet have opened up a whole new world for a lot of these kids, and ours is no exception. The main problem with feeding the special interest is its cost. Some people spend so much money on special interests that they are on the brink of bankruptcy.
Our Aspie wants to be an adult so bad, and be a member of the working world, and earn a living. He is very entrepreneurial in nature. Computers allow him to socialize at a level that he is comfortable with. This is good, because it’s not like he would be comfortable in a people business, such as aircraft sales. Still, he tries to be an adult, running several Interent “businesses.” We tried telling him that, child labor laws being what they are, he could not get a job until he was 16. But this has not stopped his quest to become an adult as fast as humanly possible.
So he continues on, and doesn’t really care about unimportant things, like his appearance. He like to wear messy clothes and has unkempt hair. He is of normal weight, but while some people would fret over their weight and contemplate weight loss surgery, he could care less what others might say about his appearance.
Education is not important to him in the literal sense. He learns what he wants at his own pace. College may or may not be an option, but online college degrees are just as valid nowadays as those earned on campus, and perhaps that is a saving grace.
There is never a dull moment in our house, that’s for sure!
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We found out a year ago that our son has aspergers disorder. What a shock!!! We approached the school system with this new-found issue. The counselor and most of the teachers has been great, however, we are presented with a new set of challenges.My son who turned 15 in June has a brother that turned 8 in june.My oldest is down right mean to my youngest, almost to the point that he is uncontrolable.We do not have any programs for his age group in our area. We are at a loss and do not know where to turn for help. We live in northern Indiana. We have thought about sending him to a bording school that specializes in treating teens with asperger disorder. If anyone reads this, it is my prayer that you would somehow get ahold of us. We have been seeking help through many resources but yet we have come up empty handed. It seems as though some people are aware of this disorder but, do not know how they can help. He does not qualify for any government assistance untill he turns 18. I have learned that boarding schools can range in upwards of $50k per year. I love my son, but I can not afford this kind of expense. His Dr. seems to agree that this is what he needs, but can’t offer any more . Reaching out, Indiana
I really shit my pants trying to figure this out.
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