She cannot express herself with words and has not learned any alternate forms of communication, but she can smile and laugh. That’s where her personality comes through. She has her own view of what’s funny and what makes her happy. They are simple things without punchlines, plays on words, or invocations of literary device. They are more precious than gold.

Often one concentrates on academic achievement, language development and so forth. One overlooks a child’s social development, from being in their own worlds with no bonds to anyone, to the forming of parent-child relationships, to a rare interest in what other children are doing. Now this has happened perhaps three times, but it is developing. I hope this will grow into a want of friendship and that there will be people who will want her as a friend.

Low vs. High Functioning. I was talking to a parent of an HFA four year old lamenting about my daughter’s need to rip to shreds every piece of paper in the house, and that sometimes she gets important documents. He said they were having trouble with their son writing the names of his classmates on every sheet of paper, including a contract he was working on approving that he left for just a few seconds.

I didn’t know I had more *personality* than someone with Asperger’s… funny what you learn. Or don’t.

Cliff