Mom's Wish

The thing about Asperger's that I truly dislike is the emotional roller coaster. A little while ago I tucked my incredibly awesome son in to bed. A few minutes later he was breaking down. He told me that he wishes he had friends. He wants to have fun like other kids. The thing is, he doesn't understand kids his own age. He struggles talking to them. He has a big heart and wants everyone to be happy. He also is very big on rules so he wants everyone to behave. So, all the kids that he likes, he has, in fact, gotten them in trouble at some point during this year.

I know it's hard for other kids to talk to him. He's different. He doesn't understand sarcasm, or teasing. It breaks my heart to see him so lonely, but I can't force other kids to play with him. This damn syndrome is very hard to deal with on nights like this. I want his life to be a little easier. It doesn't have to be simple..just not so tough.

Tuesday

Hi everyone! I went back to school today even though I didn't want too. I took my medicine and I think it helped a little. I did much better taking a quiz. I wasn't very hungry at snack time like I usually am. Lunch was fine..but I love lunch. My school always has pizza so that's what I eat every day. I went to group lunch today which is fun.
I have a bad cold so mom came and got me out of school early. We went to a different doctor who talked funny. He wasn't as cool as Dr. Gerber or Ms. Simmons, but mom said it was okay to see him this time because she wanted to get me feeling better and she didn't want to wait a week. I got very bored at the clinic but mom brought her iPad. She's smart. I played "Real Steal" and everyone kept looking at me. My mom said it was because not many kids have an iPad to play with so I should be grateful. I am. I like that my mom and dad can buy me cool things. Sometimes I wish I had a brother or a sister, but I like having my mom all to myself.
I decided today that everyone wants to know what it's like to Asperger's. I get asked about it all the time. I don't know what to say to them. I usually say it makes me feel like my brain is going crazy. Sometimes it makes me angry, like I want to smash stuff.
Most of the time it makes me feel different.

Real Steel

I love Reel Steal. I REALLY love it! My mom and I watched it a MILLION times this weekend. I think my mom got tired of it, but she didn't get mad. She shakes her head and talks to her friends on Facebook. My favorite robot is Zeus, but really I like them all. My mom likes Atom so when we wrestle I am Zeus and she is Atom. I want to build robots someday. My dad is going to help me. My mom says that first I have to learn how things work, but I told her that I am smart..I'll figure it out as we go. My mom said I needed to blog before I watch the movie again, so, I blogged. Now I'm going to watch the movie.
Okay, this is mom typing now. Here's a little info about Macen and this movie. Macen doesn't watch a movie and move on. If he loves the movie that is ALL we will talk about for a very long time. We went to the theater to see Real Steel and he loved it. Grant bought him a Robot (Noisyboy) action figure. He got some more for Christmas and it has taken over a good portion of his life. That's a big thing with kids who have Asperger's. It's all or nothing, When Macen was little it was Thomas the Train, then Star Wars (it was Star Wars for a very long time) Then we had Bakugan, Beyblade..sheesh..Now it is Real Steel. (I don't mind this so much because I too love the movie) The video is Macen doing the Atom Dance..He has no rhythm, and I laugh at his "white boy" moves, but it shows you how he watches this movie.

Sunday

I have a headache today, so my mom is typing what I say.
Yesterday was okay, but I was very thirsty. All day long. I played with my friend and we had a good time. I think the medicine helped me talk to him about other things instead of always talking about what I like.
Last night I was really tired. My head started to hurt. My mom isn't sure if it's because of the medicine, or because I had a long day.
I didn't want to take the pill today. I will take it tomorrow, even though I don't have any school.
I did get to talk to my dad which was fun. I miss him a lot.
I want to thank everyone who reads this blog. It makes it fun for me to do, even though sometimes it feels like homework.
I don't have much to say today. Have a good Sunday.

What is Asperger's?

(This is Macen's mom. We thought that we should define what Asperger Syndrome is. This is the information that we received, so we reprinted it for you to look over.)


Asperger Syndrome is often considered a high functioning form of autism. People with this syndrome have difficulty interacting socially, repeat behaviors, and often are clumsy. Motor milestones may be delayed.
Hans Asperger labeled this disorder "autistic psychopathy" in 1944. The cause is unknown.
There is a possible link to autism, and genetic factors may play a role. The condition appears to be more common in boys than in girls.
Although people with Asperger syndrome often have difficulty socially, many have above-average intelligence. They may excel in fields such as computer programming and science. There is no delay in their cognitive development, ability to take care of themselves, or curiosity about their environment.

Symptoms

People with Asperger have problems with language in a social setting.
It may be difficult to choose a topic of conversation, their body language may be off, and it may be difficult for them to recognize that the other person has lost interest in the topic.
They may speak in a monotone, and may not respond to other people's comments or emotions.
They may have difficulty understanding sarcasm or humor.

Other symptoms may include:

Problems with eye contact, facial expressions, body postures, or gestures (nonverbal communication)
Singled out by other children as "weird" or "strange"
Difficulty developing relationships with children their own age
Inability to respond emotionally in normal social interactions
Not flexible about routines or rituals
Lack of showing, bringing, or pointing out objects of interest to other people
Do not express pleasure at other people's happiness
Preoccupied with parts of whole objects
Repetitive behaviors, including repetitive behavior that injures themselves
Repetitive finger flapping, twisting, or whole body movements
Unusually intense preoccupation with narrow areas of interest, such as obsession with train schedules, phone books, or collections of objects

It's Saturday. Why am I blogging?

Good Morning. My mom told me that before I could watch TV I needed to blog. Sheesh! She keeps forgetting that it's my vacation. (side note: This is mom typing..he promised last night that he would blog during breakfast, which is what we are doing, so I am NOT being mean)

I didn't take my pill yesterday because I didn't have school. Mom wanted me to but I told her that I have never had problems paying attention to my video games. I have never had a problem with playing video games. Mom said that if school was a video game I would already be in college. I told her that if school was a video game no one would play it.

I took the pill this morning so mom could see how it makes me feel. I will let you know if I act different.

Have a good day today. Enjoy your Saturday.

My Name is Macen

My name is Macen. I have Asperger's syndrome. My mom thinks that writing a blog will help me understand what I have. She's says it might even help others. I don't know. Some days I will blog, some days she will blog. I told her that if she lets me stay home from school, I could blog all the time. She said NO. My mom helps me type, but I am slowly getting better at it. Hopefully in a few months I can do this by myself.
I found out that I had Asperger's when I was 5. It was new back then, so we really didn't know what it meant. Some people thought that I was like "Rain Man" but I wasn't. We tried lots of things back then. Diet, Therapy, sports, but nothing really worked.I was given medicine to help me concentrate, but I didn't like it. It made me feel and act like a Zombie, and I hate zombies. My mom took me off it when I was in 2nd grade. I started to have more fun but I still didn't do well in school.
This year we moved to Yorktown, Virginia. My teacher likes to help me, but I have a hard time staying attention in school. My mom took me to a Doctor and he did a whole bunch of tests and told me what it meant to have Asperger's. It made me feel better to know that alot of kids have it. He also said that I have something called ADD. It just means that I need help to pay attention. We have tried lots of things, but nothing really worked. Yesterday we decided to try some new medication to help me in school. I don't have to take it all the time, just on school days. I took my first pill today. I didn't feel different, and my mom says that's good. I don't know if it helped me because school was still boring.
I don't know what else to say. I want to go play my video games..so bye for now.