my son has it. he was diagnosed when he was 8 years old. he was in the 2nd grade. he is now 15 and is an incoming 9th grader.
i'm not an expert. i know it is part of the autism spectrum disorder.
inspite of his disability, he is very high-functioning. very smart, very articulate. can be very funny. can be very sensitive. he puts my writings to shame with his. unfortunately, i don't get to read most of them. he doesn't let me. but his teachers were kind enough to share some of them with me. i asked him why he never shares them, but he didn't say anything. i didn't push but i let him know i'm very proud of him. that i believe in him. that i hope someday he would share his writings with me.
his biggest disadvantage for being an aspie is his lack of social skills. he also has a hard time processing and articulating feelings and emotions.
my son and i have a lot of issues. i was more focused on my work than on him for four years, and this caused damage to our relationship. so two years ago, i decided to just focus on him and his needs, help him, help myself, heal and rebuild our relationship. it is not an easy process. it is still a work in progress. very complicated, sometimes very painful. but we are on the mend. and there are so many people i will forever be thanful to for helping us through, for their time, patience, understanding, compassion and their friendship.
now, i have a better understanding of everything about him. i will never again put him and his needs in the back burner.
