Oh, you just don't live in my small, ego-centric, bizarre little community. Anyone who is labeled as different is seriously shunned. We have a boy on the block that has Asperger syndrome. It is a very mild case and the boy (5th grader) is for the most part very normal. His mom mentioned that he has been identified as gifted as well. For many years now the other moms on the block have always referred to this kid as "That Boy" (never by name). As in "We don't trust That Boy." "We can't let our kids play with That Boy." I have heard those comments specifically about this poor kid. When it became apparent that our son was quirky and very different from the other kids on the block (high energy with both mind and body going a million miles a minute, adult-like conversation since the age of 2, lost in an imaginary world where he talks out loud and acts out space battles, lego adventures, or whatever exciting book he is currently reading, etc.) then we began to get the same treatment. The next door neighbor makes no secret of announcing that our son is crazy for his vivid imagination and that they don't trust him. She will actually come outside and escort her kids inside, even if they are playing happily together. So I think on Halloween night she said something like that.
Note: We have tried to tell him that it is okay to talk and act out his imaginary stories at home with his legos, but not while walking on the sidewalk to school. He did this a lot in Kindergarten and 1st grade, but has mostly stopped. He is starting to understand the social ramifications of being different, but it is a slow process. I think his mind is just always racing and rarely sits still.
