I recently met a young man that to me appears to have Asperger's syndrome. I am not a child psychiatrist so I could not definitely confirm this but as a mother of a child having "special needs", I have this strong gut feeling that he is one. I have also read quite a number or books,articles and discussion boards on kids in the spectrum (trying to understand my own kid) so I believe I can somehow see or tell the signs.
As most people with such conditions,they are often normal physically most of whom I see are actually good looking. But when they begin to speak that is when you know something is different. They ask endless questions, seem very fidgety,gets easily distracted and doesn't seem to care if someone is laughing at them.
It's like a dagger in my heart when his teammates would giggle, look at each other or smile sarcastically when he is asking too many questions or is very enthusiastic on a topic that to others are trivial. It has also been becoming annoying to me already that they would laugh or giggle at almost every word he says when it isn't even funny or weird at all.
I feel that way because as much as I try to avoid such thoughts, I can imagine how my child will be treated by his peers in school up to his adulthood even when he is already a professional.
But if you will think about it, shouldn't they be admired instead? They do not conform or pretend to conform to society's norms. They ask questions without thinking what others would say. How often does a "normal" person think that way? More often than not, we always ponder first if we would sound stupid or what the other person will think of us.
I read a novel by Jodi Picoult entitled "House Rules". One of his characters is a kid with Asperger's, he was suspected of killing someone because when questioned by police officers, all he can tell is the truth even if it incriminates him. When asked by his mom, he simply said that he is just following the house rule to always tell the truth and besides why shouldn't he?
Aside fron that, one more thing that I admire from them is how transparent they are with their emotions. You could easily tell if they like what they are doing or talking about. You can see how bright their faces light up, how sweet and genuine their smiles are and I swear I could see a spark in their eyes. That to me is very heartwarming and makes them deserving to be called "special".
My husband often tells me that I prefer our kid with special needs, above are the reasons why. Aside from the fact that I believe that deep inside I am a special needs person too.
