malcolmmatthews

My name is Malcolm Matthews. I have a 10 yr. old with Asperger's. He was diagnosed when he was 5. My wife is in the process of being diagnosed, too. We're always on the lookout for other folks to connect with as we wrestle with this complex issue in our family. Oh, and I just wrote a book called WINNING AURELIA , which I'm currently shopping around to agents. It's about an Aspie child chess prodigy named Owen who has a crush on the girl across the street and was inspired by my son. (I've also been blogging about Asperger's lately. Check it out at www.malcolmmatthews.ca. I'd love some discussion and feedback.) Cheers all!

Chris 54, How old is your son? Mine was diagnosed when he was about 5 yrs. old. We started talking with him about what AS is pretty early on. Now that he's 10, we can be even much more open. It helps his teachers to know as well, and we make it a point to meet with his teacher at the beginning of each year to discuss our son's particular areas of strength and weakness. I just wrote a book called WINNING AURELIA (for which I'm currently seeking an agent) about an Aspie child chess prodigy who has a crush on the girl across the street. One of my favourite chapters is the one where the main character's mother and father sit down with him over dinner and discuss his AS. At one point, they refer to it as a "super power." And like most super powers, they explain, AS comes with its own version of kryptonite. Owen (the main character) is a brilliant chess player, but he has trouble in social settings. By keeping the conversation open, light-hearted, and on-going, the family is better able to deal with issues they'll have down the road. In a case of life imitating art, my wife and I used the chapter to help us in our dealings with our son. So far so good!

I've heard of more and more adults realizing (often correctly, it seems) that the peculiar personality traits they've noticed over the years in themselvs and/or in others, may very well be Asperger's. We're going through it right now with my wife, but it's next to impossible to find someone who will diagnose an adult. The debate we're having now is whether getting an official diagnosis is worth it. Will it hurt, help, or not make any difference? My wife's afraid to know for sure. I'm leaning toward knowing, but I can see how the temporary peace of mind could lead to more frustration for both of us later down the line.