Our Aspergers Teenage Boy

Mom reports: How can the same child who acts like he is suffocating from the smell when Doug brews coffee not mind his own body odor and refuse to bathe? “I don’t think it’s a bad smell Mom.”

Mom reports:
If I had hacker skills I could let Tommy work on this from home. He spends most of his school day working on very basic math and english on it.

Mom reports: If I ask Tommy to do something he goes on a vocabulary diet. Instead of actually stating his thoughts or expressing his reason for disagreement, I get “What?!?” or “Mom!” He makes up for his brevity of words by adding syllables. “Mo-o-o-o-o-m!”

Mom reports:
Since the school doesn't care if Tommy gets an education (only that he passes their standardized tests), I am gathering books that he needs to read to be culturally literate. Books that most high schoolers are expected to have read by the time they graduate. Tommy loves to read so this can only boost his strengths. I have been making his reading list from required reading lists available on the Internet. The list is pretty long already. What would you say are the most important books for a high schooler to read?

Dad reports:
Yesterday Tommy went with his entire family to the movies to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. We took up nearly an entire row in the theater.

Tommy seemed amped and antsy. When we inquired it turned out that Tommy was asked to take his morning medicine but forgot. Aside from needing a few extra reminders to relax, he really did well!

Tommy also enjoyed the movie very much. When asked if he liked this one better than the one from 1971 he replied, "they are both really different."

Mom reports:
In Tommy’s unpublished and ever-changing rulebook, 3 meals, one snack and one dessert must be eaten every day. Yesterday and today he started the day at 11 and I told him he was eating breakfast AND lunch. Tommy is livid and mumbling “I’m hungry” over and over again in a quest to get a meal now and again in an hour.

Mom reports:
At 10 this morning I started trying to get Tommy out of his bed. He angrily arose at 11. “This is MY summer. I shouldn’t have to go to school during MY time.” His summer workshop (it’s not even a class) is from 12:30 until 3:30 for just two weeks. I can hardly wait for regular school to start in a few weeks. Tommy should have some really choice words about school starting again.

Dad reports:
I know he was up at 2:45am reading because I was up too. I didn’t interfere but made him walk the dog this morning at 8:45 and he was grouchy! Did he finish the book? Probably. Will we wake him? That’s Mom’s choice.

Dad reports:
The family went to the Border’s festivities for the Harry Potter book release. Tommy turned down the offer to participate instead choosing to go to his grandparents which I thought was both nice and good for him. The crowds and chaos with the hour of the night and the jealously over Sarah having friends there certainly would have pushed Tommy into a meltdown; on the other hand, he may have picked up a book, found a corner and mentally retreated for a calm evening. With Tommy, events like that can still be a crap shoot.

Dad reports:
Tommy chose to keep himself up reading all night long. We knew he was up and I was supposed to encourage him to sleep but I passed out before going upstairs. At 5:15 when I discovered him I told him that he could not go to sleep and would have to pay the price. He bawled and cried and objected but after I made him walk the dog and he discovered a frog on our porch he seemed better. While he cooked himself some eggs he was downright jolly and socialable.