Resurrecting this old post to update you all - my kiddo is passing 8th grade on a "social pass". The stress got to be so high the last week and a half of school, with teachers angry in every class about missing work and only a few days left to find it, fix it, etc., that he was ending up in the nurse's office every day with anxiety and to cool off. He finally had melt down in science when the teacher accused him of cheating because he was looking around the room and his answers almost matched the girl next to him. When he told his teacher that it would be ridiculous to cheat since he could have written a better test than she did, you can imagine her reaction. He thought he was providing proof that cheating wasn't a possibility; she saw it as an extreme sign of disrespect. She started yelling, he asked to leave before he lost control, she said no, and he left anyway.

After a long conference with his principal, we decided that his returning to school for the remaining few days would serve no useful purpose for anyone, especially since in our state the school can't hold him back.

I've found a new psychologist, who once again says he is convinced this is not Aspergers or autism, but thinks it is, as he called it, "the gift of being 2E". The fact that he even knew what the word meant was encouraging. We're hoping some summer sessions to help the kiddo learn to deal with stress, anxiety, communication, and organization may help him cope better next year.

So, no good news, but a lot learned. It doesn't look completely like Aspergers to me - the girls like him and are calling him, and he's quite charming with them as well, and he has a lot of friends. He wants friends, likes being around them - although he is completely fine on his own as well. But the communication, lack of reading expression and body language ... I hardly know where to look for answers.

Hope the end of your school year was better than ours; thanks for all the support.

~Lisa
http://www.lisaabeyta.wordpress.com/