March 29th, 2008
This week has seen an influx of visitors to Aspergerteen looking for information on Bill Gates and Asperger’s. I’d say CNN’s article Asperger’s: My life as an Earthbound alien is why.
Don’t pity me or try to cure or change me. If you could live in my head for just one day, you might weep at how much beauty I perceive in the world with my exquisite senses. I would not trade one small bit of that beauty, as overwhelming and powerful as it can be, for "normalcy."
Source, Asperger’s: My life as an Earthbound alien
That’s beautiful! It should be on billboards and bumper stickers and business cards and everywhere! I think if I ever attend an IEP again that will be read at the start of the meeting.
The CNN manager, who doesn’t appear to have an credits on the story, exquisitely sums up the Aspies traits.
- tend to have specialized interests
- don’t quite understand small talk
- A misconception is that Aspies do not have a sense of humor. [Tommy has a great sense of humor!]
- lack the ability to see emotion in most facial expressions
- intensified senses
- live with anxiety
She leaves out that Asperger’s Disorder typically follows the male lineage which makes her even more unique. I find these articles interesting and wish we had written more when Tommy was younger. Tommy now blogs but I think he often finds it a chore. I hope he will read this article and be inspired to write lengthier, more intimate stories of his own life.
I do caution people about red car syndrome. The Autism spectrum is broad and it is easy to find autistic traits for everyone we know and even ourselves. Be sure to visit a professional to confirm any suspicions of Asperger’s Syndrome. Asperger’s was first diagnosed in 1944 by Austrian pediatrician Hans Asperger. The diagnosis was not translated into English until 1989 and was not accepted as a diagnosis in America until the mid-nineties. Only in the past decade have inroads toward acceptance, treatments, therapies, integration in schools, and support systems developed in the United States. Today’s Aspie is very fortunate compared to the Aspie a decade ago. Tomorrow’s Aspie will be ever more fortunate.
Posted in Of Interest | 2 Comments »
March 26th, 2008
Tommy is doing a project in his Ecology class and needs to collect different opinions on a variety of topics. The first is regarding the water dispute between Tennessee and Georgia. Could you head over to Tommy’s blog and give him your thoughts in the comments of his post Water Dispute? Thank you!
Posted in Education | No Comments »
March 25th, 2008
When looking back over the years and thinking about the tags that had to be cut from clothing, the brushing therapy, the meltdowns in the mall food court because of lighting and noise, the inability to shop in Sam’s Wholesale Club because of the lights, the yelps and tears from a finger being pointed his direction, I would laugh out loud if you told me one day my Asperger son would be sitting on a plywood seat of a canoe in a mosquito infested swamp mere feet away from an alligator as large my son! That’s exactly how we spent last week. Five adults and thirteen boys including my son spent five days and four nights on Mixon’s Hammock in the Okefenokee Swamp.
The strenuous paddling upstream into the wind was frustrating but did not break Tommy’s spirit. The mosquitoes thick as morning fog did not quell his desire to sleep in a tent in a swamp and the infected (from scratching) bites are now a source of pride as a battle scar. The four foot long black and brown snake that took residence under Tommy’s tent to avoid further harassment by the curious scouts did not send Tommy packing. The ravenous raccoons, masked with sharp claws, wandering through camp as if they were part of our company, and coming within 10 feet of the humans, did not bother Tommy in the least. The only part of the experience that threw Tommy for a loop was the composting toilet which was almost full to the brim and in desperate need for a new treatment of enzymes. I am sure he wasn’t the only scout that waited five days for the clean restroom of the Corral Wheel restaurant.
Do not let anyone ever tell you what your Aspie cannot do for your child is capable of amazing feats!
Posted in Daily Life, Of Interest | 4 Comments »
January 26th, 2008
The Boy Scouts are having a merit badge college today. Tommy applied for and got the veterinary merit badge! This merit badge is perfect since he wants to pursue the vet tech program at Lincoln Memorial University in the Fall. The pieces really seem to be falling together well for him. Today he will see a college campus as a student without mom and dad around. He will experience the vast campus and large classroom settings. This will be a great experience!
Posted in Education | 3 Comments »
January 22nd, 2008
At age 6, it was declared "Tommy will never read."
At age 10, doctors, friends, and family encouraged putting Tommy away in a home stating "you can’t save Tommy and the other children."
Tommy spent 2nd to 6th grade at KAEC with no textbooks and "learning behaviors."
In the 8th grade, the school system highly encouraged us to hold Tommy back a year for socialization and maturity (we refused).
In the 12th grade, Tommy takes the ACT and gets a 28. He was expected to take 6 years in high school to accept a special education degree. Instead he completes in 4 years and will walk the stage in May 2008 with a regular education high school diploma.
On April 12, 2008, Tommy received a letter of acceptance from Lincoln Memorial University!
Tommy is thrilled!
Tommy succeeds by his own efforts. He is also supported by a fantastic network of loving family, friends, teachers, doctors and professionals. Never give up; never surrender!
Posted in Daily Life, Of Interest, Support | 7 Comments »
January 22nd, 2008
UPDATE! Due to the icy conditions, Lake Shore has canceled meetings tonight! They have moved the Asperger Support Group meeting to next Tuesday, January 29th. Starting in February, the meeting will return to the 4th Tuesday of each month.
The Knoxville Asperger Support Group has a new location and date!
We meet the fourth Tuesday of every month Next meeting:
Tuesday, January 22nd 29th from 6 – 7:30 p.m.
Lakeshore’s Peach Cottage
Corner of Northshore & Lyons View
Living with or caring for someone with Asperger’s Syndrome can be challenging. The primary objective of the group will be to provide support for each other through discussion and the sharing of experiences at the monthly meetings. Please join us for an exchange of information, ideas and resources.
Join the Yahoo Group
Posted in Support | No Comments »
November 15th, 2007
Meeting Announcement
The upcoming meeting dates for the Knoxville Asperger Support Group are:
- Novemeber 19, 2007
- December 17, 2007
The support group has a Yahoo Group which can be found on http://groups.yahoo.com/ by searching for Knoxville_Aspie_Support. It meets the third Monday of every month unless there is a conflict or holiday at the West Branch of the Knoxville Public Library (map) at 100 Golfclub Rd from 6pm to 7:30pm.
The Knoxville Asperger Support Group is a no charge, open discussion on the subject of Asperger Syndrome. Typically attendees are caregivers of children teens, and adults although folks with Asperger’s often attend to provide input, ask questions, or seek out others with Asperger’s. All are welcome!
Potential Special Topic
Dr. Dan Murphy of the School Board has proposed turning KAEC into a middle school to serve the Sequoyah Hills areas. He is making the rounds to several PTOs (will be at Rocky Hill Elementary on Dec 10 at 6:30pm) to garnish support for his proposal. When asked directly as to what would become of the KAEC students, Dr. Murphy gave an ambiguous answer. In my mind that means they either have no plan or will bus the children to Karns. As a parent of a child with Asperger’s, you stand a chance that your child will spend some time at KAEC. This is a topic that needs to be discussed immediately.
Posted in Support | 5 Comments »
August 17th, 2007
This morning I hear the raspy static of loud white noise. No. It is more than noise. I hear Spanish. But it sounds like a radio station that is not tuned correctly. Raspy static mixed with Spanish. And it is talk radio not music.
I ask my son, "what is that?" He replies, "My alarm. Nothing else sounds good."
Posted in Daily Life | 1 Comment »
August 2nd, 2007
Parents of Aspies have learned that it is healthy to shake up their routine. Rearranging their furniture can totally through them off. But life is full of stuff that does not follow our rules. Life has surprises and unexpected turns. We have become complacent in allowing Tommy to fall into a regimented routine of non-activity and primarily days on end of World of Warcraft. Today I forced him off the machines and, along with a friend, dropped him at our local Frisbee disc golf course. He was visibly shaken at the suggestion that he do something involving walking around in the hot sun. No sooner had I arrived home and started to settle into work, the phone rang, "we are out of water and dehydrating. Please come pick up us." When I refused telling them to finish 9 more holes then call me I got a another call, "we found a friend to bring us home" which got a sharp, "no" returned from me. Yes, it is so much easier just to let them have their routines and hide like hermits in their darkened rooms!
Posted in Daily Life, Health | 9 Comments »
May 23rd, 2007
Tommy called with nervous laughter in his voice, "We were hit!" For the second time in 6 years, the short bus was in an accident. In those same 6 years, none of our other children, riding regular buses, have had accidents. I could hear the special needs children in the background struggling to hold it together. Let’s be honest, some were absolutely out of control. I could feel Tommy struggling to maintain himself. He wanted to succumb to the madness. He wanted to be sucked down into the land of immaturity but he fought to maintain control despite his morning routine being way out of whack and his surroundings in chaos.
An officer stepped on the bus to check on the children. Tommy laughs and blurts out, "I didn’t do it!" The officer responds, "You’re always guilty!" Tommy calls again. His anxiety is obviously high but he seems to be maintaining himself. "We’re on the news!" WATE put a few seconds of the bus on the news but nothing on the website. It was just a minor scrap on the back corner by an 18 wheeler. For the locals, the truck driver made the mistake of trying to navigate the curve in South Gallaher View Road near Gleason at the same time the bus was in the curve. (Anyone remember the 18 wheeler that got stuck on the tracks trying to get down the drop off before the new crossing was put in?)
All turned out well. I still want Tommy to ride the regular bus next year but since we were unable to arrange a test run this year, he will have to start out on the short bus. I find it pathetic that our special needs buses have children with a variety of issues thrown together in a cramped space for noisy, lengthy rides and the only person to monitor and intervene is an untrained driver which means the driver, who should be 100% focused on the road, is having to divide time between driving and disciplining, comforting, and engaging the children who may have sensitivity issues (say to the noise) and be acting out, or the child might have a violent disposition and be sneaking abuse in on another child, and so forth. I find it inexcusable that every special needs bus does not have a trained aid for the full length of the ride to and from school. I’ll step off my soapbox now.
Update: My initial account of the incident.
Posted in Daily Life, Education, Transportation | 3 Comments »
