Living with aspergers.

Wow! never knew updating my blog would be so difficult. I have had lots going on lately. So many emotions I'm not sure what to do with them all yet. I have been driving myself crazy with the fact that it is time to start my own website and finally sell my art and crafts. So much to do and think about. The holidays have been crazy and our schedules have been nuts.

This week we found out our son Brandon has aspergers. It is something I have speculated about over the last year. He has struggled with socializing since kindergarten and I was hoping he would grow out of it. This year has been extremely difficult for him. He has come home a number of times in tears, wishing he never had to go to school again. There have been some boys at his school that have been teasing him and he has had a few fist fights. I am relieved to finally have some answers and a little guidance. I will be attending a workshop for autism in January in hopes of learning some coping skills. My main objective is to find a way to help Brandon feel like he can communicate with others. Over the years he has shown aggression and I think most of that comes from him not being able to express how he feels or what he wants.

Thursday I sat in a meeting for almost 3 hrs. It makes me happy to know there are some people in his school that actually care and want to get him the help he needs. I worry about the labeling. I know that he has to be labeled as autistic in order to get the help he needs. The laws on this are a pain and aspergers seems so different to me. Brandon had to go through a few months of testing before we could officially say he had aspergers. I was amazed when they presented his test results to me. I have always known my son was gifted but this was beyond what I expected. He had test scores way above kids his age and in his reading comprehension he was almost off the charts. There is much to be thankful for. Some of his tests show that the way he has been taught at home and school has helped him in some areas that he otherwise would have failed at.

I have been researching aspergers for over a year now and I am amazed at the people who have had this and what they have accomplished in life. They say that Thomas Jefferson and Albert Einstein all showed key signs of aspergers. I'm not sure if my son will turn out to be Einstein but I do know he is extremely intelligent and he has compassion. I am so proud of him and his accomplishments. I know that having the gospel in his life has been the key to his happiness. My only worry is his future and that is why I want to get him the help he needs now. I have found through my studies that most people with aspergers mature socially at different levels and that no two cases are the same. I worry that while most kids will enter high school and be active in sports and dating and hanging-out with friends my Brandon would rather be in a room with a book or still playing with toys he had when he was 12. I know I have to have faith that what ever the Lord intends is what may be. The most important thing is that many people go on to be very successful in their life, living with aspergers. I know that there will come a time for a relationship in his life and the girl he falls in love with will be a special one and she will just "get him".

For many years Brandon has said those words to me " people just don't get me" or "you just don't understand". He is right I don't understand what he is thinking and why he thinks certain things at any given time. Our family was in a meeting with our Bishop and out of the blue and way off topic he asks our Bishop if he has seen Wall-E and that he should take his wife to see that movie. It was a sweet gesture but, why did he choose that topic at that time. So, my hope is to learn and grow and be able to understand him and the things he says. The mind truly is a beautiful thing and how blessed we are to each have our own.