Parents with children . . "Classic Autism" teens

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Hello again,

I am willing to share with parents or relatives who have child/ren in their teens and older.

it would be nice to hear some of the things that teens go through that have autism? Is your child an aspie or just autistic?

Hi!

I have a 14yo son with Asperger's and LD's. He's in public middle school (a part-time learning support class with pullout for specials).

Puberty has been frustrating at times but he's much easier now than when he was younger. He has more self-awareness and better self-control.

His biggest complaint is still sensory (noise, crowds) and he's had some issues with minor bullying and rude behavior by others but doesn't seem to be too upset about it for long. He has a reputation for being a tattletale as he doesn't hesitate going to the principal at the slightest offense (well they did say bullying and threats were not to be tolerated).

He's having a hard time with his friends lately though, holding grudges over minor offenses. And he has this superior attitude and hates when his one friend acts silly. He also can't seem to be friends with more than one person at a time without excluding the other. I hope he figures it out before he loses the few friends he has!

What are your teens like? I'd love to hear your children's experiences.

My AS daughter fluctuates between being nearly "normal" some days, getting excited about school and the possibilities, and then extremely moody, dark, and negative at other times.

In other words, like a "normal" teenager, with some very discernable differences (like rocking, repeating, unnecessarily loud voice, monotone, not cleaning her nose, not caring about her appearance, not present...)

Goku, it's really common for Aspies to be only able to focus on one thing or one person at a time. I don't know how this can be explained to your son's friends though. We tend to have a very narrow focus rather than the wider focus that NTs generally have and this definitely causes issues with socialising and friendships.