Pressing Puzzles

This month May of 2014, will set a milestone for Jaimee and I; our last two daughters will be graduating high school. There are so many levels on which I could address this topic because there are several side stories to their rise of finishing high school. If you have read some of my previous posts, Christen and Sarah are both autistic so graduating high school is a great accomplishment in itself, but there's much more than that. They are both going to be heading off to an university and Jaimee and I couldn't be more proud. I think what you have to realize is that the four years my daughters have been in high school have not been easy sailing. They both have had their challenges. The biggest challenge for both of them was the adjustments they had to make when it came to high school. The school is larger, the times are earlier, and student population is higher and the expectations are greater. Christen had her hurdles to face due to the activities she was involved in like ...

I have to admit that I've been rather indecisive lately. I'm trying to remember a time in the past when I was so unaware in my life! I think the bad part is that by a certain point you should have reached were you wanted to be. Sadly that is not my case, because I always thought I'd be writing comic books, manga, novel or short stories. So far the only things I've "published" have been these blogs about my life with Asperger's. I don't know if it's the age or autism, but I'm at a point right now where I have no idea what to do. Honestly, I never thought at this point I'd still be teaching...in high school no less! Maybe college, but not in the public school system I can tell you that for sure. Don't get me wrong, I still love to write, but I feel like I've lost a little of my passion. I guess when you fight for so many years on stories and working with artists then the company either doesn't like your stuff or they go belly...

I never thought of myself as a good test taker. I mean, tests like the ACT and SAT test are only good for finding out how well you can take a test. I remember having to take all kinds of tests. MMAT, ACT, C-BASE, Finals for college classes, and of course those wonderful teaching tests. As a teacher, I had to give the MAP and EOC tests. I realize the value of a test, but I think it doesn't always show a true comprehension of the material. With my Asperger's, it's difficult for me to remember anything...especially stuff for a test! Not all tests are just ones for a school, college or professional life. There are many times when a test can become personal. One real open observation I've noticed is that women, like my wife, will throw out a comment, question or scenario and see what the man's response would be. They're testing us to see where we stand or how we react to the set-up. I'm saying this is a little unfair to the man, but there are times when gettin...

I guess like embarking on any puzzle, it must always starts with the first piece. So to begin, I have Asperger's Syndrome, in other words I'm Autistic, and so this literature will be about my struggles with this disorder as an adult. I was first diagnosed back in the summer of 2004. If it wasn't for my twin daughters, I might not have ever known all the questions I have ever had in life; to them, I will always be in their debt. Growing up, you are never really aware of any differences until the judgment years...6th thru 12th grade of school. A time when one always tests their own humanity against others; meaning, how will I measure up against other students.   In my eyes I seemed to be just like them; two arms and legs, ten fingers and toes, head and body...nothing unusual. Yet, for some reason, I was treated a little different than everyone else. That's one of those things that you can't quite put your finger on, but I observed on many occasions how kids would talk...