Asperger Moment: Priceless!

[bzzymom]

My 10 yr old son has not been diagnosed as an aspie, yet, but he is so literal as well. Right now he is working on a debate for school and his position is "Space exploration is good", so I went to the public library and checked out books about the space program and he was supposed to read the book and write some notes. He read the first of the books and brought it to me and said, "it didn't say space exploration is good so there is nothing for me to write down."

Also, it hailed yesterday, and once last week and DS says that he can't understand why it does that because it is May and there shouldn't be any ice.

 

[SeaSpray]

DS-just-turned-17 came out with a definite "Asperger's line" just the other day! He works at a grocery store and when I picked him up after work he was telling me a story about a particular customer who had been arguing with one of the managers. After he finished the story, he said "Who ever said 'The customer is always right' didn't know WHAT they were talking about!!".

At first I didn't realize that HE didn't realize what that saying meant! For the most part, he has never had a problem with taking things too literally.

I explained the meaning behind that phrase, but he still wasn't too impressed since he really was annoyed at how the customer had been behaving.

The funny thing is, DS has a very mild form of Asperger's, and unless someone knows what to look for, most people would never guess that he had it; and I too often forget because he really has come such a long way in his 17 years and has none of the more obvious issues in his life because of it, but it kind of brought me back to the realization that he does, indeed have Asperger's, when I found out that he took that phrase literally.

I tell ya, you gotta love these kids with Asperger's!!!

 

[Luv Bunnies]

My son came up with something funny this morning. I was driving him to his bus stop and we passed a fire station. He said, "Hey Mommy, you know how they call the Fire Chief the Battalion Chief? Well, when I was little I thought it was called an Italian Chief." We both had a good laugh before he got on his school bus!

 

[Brer Shay]

Along the "very literal" line - One day when my DS was 6 (then not yet diagnosed Aspie), we were having one of those moments when he kept doing the same wrong thing over and over. I was exasperated and finally said, "Son, where is your head?" He looked right at me with those beautiful blue eyes, laid a hand on each of his ears and replied, "It's right here, mom." I couldn't help smiling. It was one of those stand out moments that reminds me how laughter really helps diffuse our tense moments.

On his trip to Epcot, he really liked Turtle Talk, but for the rest of the day, he would burst out, somewhat loudly, with, "My name's not Flush" and laugh, and laugh. Made my dad a little crazy after the 37th time.

 

[robin09]

DD9 has aspergers, adhd, ocd... along with other things.. Today was a penny social for her brownies. Well we ended up winning the UGLIEST, DIRTIEST DOLLS, you really can't imagine, tigger had holes and only one eye.... Doodle bear was filthy, I honestly couldn't deal with it, wanted it thrown out there and then. BUT NO I cannot .. she starts fitting, Ineed them I need them... Needless to say, she has a roomfull of dolls, toys... you name it she has it... So now I quietly ask her, please, you have doodle bear, leave him here.. you have tigger.. I'm sure you can imagine this..

Tears streaming down her face.. but Jenn please we don't need these dolls, they're dirty, they are ripped... NO MOMMY they're orphans and well loved they need a home... What's a mom to do at this point...

 

[scottsod]

ok so we had another one today

we go to this indoor play place called space odesy 2000
its like a chuck e cheese that you have to pay 250 to join then pay for the games anyway we won a 1 year membership in a support group tricky tray

so they advertise a 3 story jungle gym i sent my 2yo ds up in it
and my wife decides to take my 9yo son in with her he has cp and aspergers
and as shes taking his afo and shoes off he says to her

mommy i wonder what were going to here in there? she says what?
he says the 3 stories wich ones are we gona here in there?

lol i was like i know that lines goin on dis tonight

scott

 

[mechurchlady]

DD9 has aspergers, adhd, ocd... along with other things.. Today was a penny social for her brownies. Well we ended up winning the UGLIEST, DIRTIEST DOLLS, you really can't imagine, tigger had holes and only one eye.... Doodle bear was filthy, I honestly couldn't deal with it, wanted it thrown out there and then. BUT NO I cannot .. she starts fitting, Ineed them I need them... Needless to say, she has a roomfull of dolls, toys... you name it she has it... So now I quietly ask her, please, you have doodle bear, leave him here.. you have tigger.. I'm sure you can imagine this..

Tears streaming down her face.. but Jenn please we don't need these dolls, they're dirty, they are ripped... NO MOMMY they're orphans and well loved they need a home... What's a mom to do at this point...

Your child has a heart of gold. Why not take them home and put them in a doll hospital. It could be a fun project to do like a pirate with a patch or replace the eye. I and my mother have orphaned toys and to us they are just like other toys. We have cleaned up plushies and had a house full of them. You do not see how us plushie lovers think. To mom and my friend L. and my male friend D. they are like real animals. Do not burn, mutilate or spindle them let alone leave them in the back of a hot car.

Your girl will much influence the world and make it a better place.

 

[robin09]

Your child has a heart of gold. Why not take them home and put them in a doll hospital. It could be a fun project to do like a pirate with a patch or replace the eye. I and my mother have orphaned toys and to us they are just like other toys. We have cleaned up plushies and had a house full of them. You do not see how us plushie lovers think. To mom and my friend L. and my male friend D. they are like real animals. Do not burn, mutilate or spindle them let alone leave them in the back of a hot car.

Your girl will much influence the world and make it a better place.

Thankyou for those kind words, yes she does indeed have a heart of gold, and always sees the good in people.. Believe me we have bags and bags of plushies and dolls, they seem to accumulate, we do clean them and fix them regularly. We do try during the holidays to donate quite a bit to the hospital here in town. Jenn has a very hard time giving anything up though.

We had a yard sale a couple of years ago, and we couldn't sell anything... she would look at the people who were going to buy her baby toys and turned to me and to these unknown people and say.. but MOMMY you are selling my memories, you just can't do that. SO now at 9 years old we still have her baby toys, her nursery school toys, .... so many toys, dolls.. imagine that.. selling her memories!

 

[mrsbert]

My DS7 has SID and is very literal. I posted a few weeks ago when he got in trouble at school and I told him he would need to write lines. Of course he drew lines on a piece of paper and thought he was through. Anyway, our last trip to WDW, one of the first things we did was go to DTD so he could buy the double-sided Darth Maul lightsaber he had been saving for. We stayed at POP and he was outside the room with DS9 swinging it around. A family passes by and the mom comments on what a cool sword he has. He gives her enough time to walk away and said, "It's not a SWORD it's a LIGHT SAVER!! Of course it's a lightsaber but I couldn't pull myself together to tell him.

 

[mechurchlady]

Thankyou for those kind words, yes she does indeed have a heart of gold, and always sees the good in people.. Believe me we have bags and bags of plushies and dolls, they seem to accumulate, we do clean them and fix them regularly. We do try during the holidays to donate quite a bit to the hospital here in town. Jenn has a very hard time giving anything up though.

We had a yard sale a couple of years ago, and we couldn't sell anything... she would look at the people who were going to buy her baby toys and turned to me and to these unknown people and say.. but MOMMY you are selling my memories, you just can't do that. SO now at 9 years old we still have her baby toys, her nursery school toys, .... so many toys, dolls.. imagine that.. selling her memories!

I have my school work in the trunk behind me as I type this. I have some of my kid books, some baby clothes, my barbies, lincoln logs, games, some puzzles, and so much more that I have saved. My mother's sisters are pack rats as was their mother. My father saved things and his brother was a pack rat. Hereditary lol or my quirks. I cannot get mom to throw out old coffee cups.

My memory is damaged along with my brain so for me things hold the memories that my brain cannot. I had to learn to let go of things or find things to replace the memory. It is hard and a very long process of learning to let go.

Hugs to a great mother of a great kid.

 

[toodycat]

We live in New York and about 9 Augusts ago when Hillary Clinton was running for senator, we decided to go see her speak at a local beach. The evening was hot as Hades---nearly 100 degrees--- and my ASD son who was about 5 at the time came downstairs dressed in his favorite athletic pants. They were navy blue nylon lined in cotton. I told him they were "too hot" and that he couldn't wear them. Then, I made him change into shorts. About an hour later, I opened the freezer while I was making dinner. A pair of athletic pants fell out! When I asked Jake what they were doing in there, he said very seriously, "You said they were too hot."

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

I have only become aware of the world of Asperger's in the last year and now I find it in every corner of my world. My husband is much older than I and it is evident that is what he has.

Back when he was still driving he kept getting speeding tickets. Twice in one day once. He very seriously explained to me that he could not be speeding because there were cars in front of him. At the time it was perplexing. Now I understand, sort of.

Slightly Goofy (gotta have a sense of humor)

 

[robin09]

I was at tennis lessons with DD9 last week. She is so uncoordinated, I feel bad for her.You know the type, can't bike ride, hard time swimming, can't run straight....

Anyway, she's at the court taking lessons.. about 15 kids are there and one teacher. Everyone is just bouncing the ball and then hitting it... Jenn can't do that... So the teacher asks me to go to the handball court with Jenn and help her.. this way the ball will bounce off the wall and come back to her... I try to help her, guide her arms... and so on..

She turns to me and says, "Mom, you are acting like my tennis coach" I told her, all I'm trying to do is help you learn how to play.

She turns to me and says "BUT MOM, you are my LIFE coach, not my tennis coach, you can't teach me tennis" All I could do at that point is hug her and smile... Imagine that a life coach!

 

[bookwormde]

Very neat

I wonder how many parents of non-spectrum children will ever experience as wonderful a moment of total connection and love.

bookwormde

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Robin, it is not quite the same but I work with learning disabled children and when one of those moments happens it is so much more special for being so rare and difficult to achieve.

You are blessed to have a child who recognizes that you are in their corner and is likely to listen to you, somewhat. What a loving mom you are. May you be rewarded with many more such moments.

Slightly Goofy

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

The literalness is an issue with most kids under second grade. I just got out of a language development class, and our prof was telling us about a first grade teacher she observed. The woman was a wonderful teacher but for one flaw: she was sarcastic. The kids ate lunch in the classroom and there was a constant noise battle. At one point she said very sarcastically, "thank you for eating quietly." She couldn't figure out why the kids would not get quiet, until she realized they thought she meant it literally!

The friend I roomed with last summer is a twin and his twin has Aspergers. One evening his mother and twin came to visit .We all went out to a buffet, and at one point a waitress came up and asked C if he wanted his drink refilled. He said "of course not", and I'm sure she thought he was rude. He just didn't understand why his drink would need refilling when it was over half full.

 

[disney-super-mom]

We recently took our DS 9 (PDD-NOS), Ryan, to his very first concert, Carrie Underwood. He LOVES her......he's loved her since she was on American Idol.......he wants to marry her.

So when we found out she was coming to Spokane, I bought tickets the moment they went on sale, and we took him as a surprise. Boy, was he surprised!

Anyway, during the concert, between songs, Carrie started talking about how Spokane had some great lookin' men. Then she asked if there were any Prince Charmings in the audience.

Well, we were very close to the front, literally only about three rows from Carrie. Ryan was standing on his chair so he could see (because everyone around us was standing, and it was the only way he could be as tall as the adults around him). My DH is almost 6'6" tall (easy to spot in a crowd), and he started pointing to Ryan when Carrie asked if there were any Prince Charmings in the audience. Well, Carrie looked to where DH was pointing, looked right at Ryan, pointed at him and said "Now there's a Prince Charming! He's gonna be a lady killer when he grows up!" Then she blew Ryan a kiss, and after Ryan got over the shock, he blew her a kiss back, and Carrie giggled and waved and then started singing again. It was a great moment!

After the concert though, Ryan was perplexed. We were walking out to the car when he asked, "Why does Carrie Underwood think I'm going to be a lady killer? Does she think I'm going to kill ladies? Why would she think that?"

We of course explained what she meant. Hopefully he understands now, but it's kinda hard to tell with Ryan sometimes.

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Butterfly and Supermom, what wonderful moments! Thank you for sharing.

Slightly Goofy (grandma of six)

 

[Luv Bunnies]

All of these stories are great! I love reading them!

My son, Andy, continues to come up with his very original ideas and phrases. We call them "Andyisms." I enjoy calling my dad and saying, "Want to hear the latest Andyism?" Tonight, I was telling my husband about some things he said recently and we decided we need to start writing them down. Someday, we'll put together a book of "Andyisms!"

One of his latest: He was sitting in the car and started singing. So, I started singing with him. He turns to me and says, "Mommy! I was not trying to incite a sing-a-long!"

Today, we were driving down the freeway and saw a truck with a stuffed animal dangling under the back bumper. Apparently someone thought it was funny to torture a teddy bear. I pointed it out to my boys. Andy said, "That's terrible! Stuffed animals are manufactured bundles of joy that deserve our love and respect!" Gotta make sure we write that one down!

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Luv Bunnies, my very favorite people are children. Especially before they are corrupted by adults.

They are so honest in their utterances and speak things in ways that we no longer think and wish we could.

Thanks for sharing. Loved it! Give him a hug from this grandma, please?

Slightly Goofy