One of the main adjustments I’ve had to make since finding out about Justin’s Asperger’s is upping my patience level significantly when dealing with him. I’m sure every five-year-old asks a million questions, but it’s so exhausting to have to answer hundreds of queries about things that to me are blindingly obvious. I know that they’re not obvious to him, that he doesn’t just “get” things, so fine. But even a basic factual question often turns into a conversation like this:

JUSTIN: What day is it?
ME: Friday.
JUSTIN: What?
ME (slightly louder): It’s Friday.
JUSTIN: It’s Friday?
ME: Yes.
JUSTIN: Why is it Friday?

Note that in the above example, he said “what?” not because he didn’t hear me, but because it takes him a little longer to process my words, and “what?” is just a knee-jerk reaction. Half the time when he does that, I just repeat his own question back to him, and he already knows the answer. Argh.

I didn’t need the psychologist to tell me this kid is hyperverbal and hyperlexic (meaning he talks way too much and reads way more than he can understand). Words words words…