Aspie Girls

I always knew that something about me was a little bit "odd". It probably began when I was a very small child and I attended kindergarten. These very early experiences were difficult for me because I was, like many other children with Asperger's, rigid and inflexible. I was set in my ways and being thrown into a structured environment that was not of my own design was confusing and frightening. I suppose I had always been different, but it wasn't until this time in my life that I really began to sense it. That first day ofschool still stands out in my mind as it was marked by a great deal of anxiety and confusion. I can recall being very concerned that I would miss the bus and did not trust that my mother knew the location of the bus stop. I also recall being very concerned about what would happen once I arrived at school. How would I know the location of my classroom since I had never been inside of the building? Would they know who I was and why I was there? How would I get home again? I imagine that these things were heavy on the minds of most children, but for me there was always the additional problem of being "in a world of my own".There were so many unknowns and it was a serious diversion from my usual routine of breakfast followed by some light coloring. The other children in my class were a terrific sight, too - as I recall. I distinctly remember looking about at my classmates in horror. One girl was crying and another kid had his index finger and middle finger firmly lodged inside of his nose just digging away! What was wrong withthese people? No one was interested in talking about how to build a city or the best way to hold a pair of chopsticks, so I decided to justwalk up and tell the teacher all about it. The teacher didn't really seem very interested either and I can recall being sent right back to my seat and told that I was not to get up again until everyone was called to a "station". I was assigned to the "block station" first and was shocked to find that no one was interested in building things my way. No one in this new environment was very cooperative and no one seemed very friendly. I did not like this new activity called "school" and I spent the next 13 years trying to figure out how to get myself sent home sick!