| Our daughter was diagnosed with Asperger's | | | | It was when she was in Year 6 and 11 years old |
| Disorder when she was 13. This is Part 2 of a 3 | | | | that something happened to prompt us to get |
| part story about our struggles. | | | | some help. Every day we provided her with lunch |
| The rest of her primary school years were not | | | | and every day the lunch came home uneaten or |
| easy. She was bullied incessantly and because she | | | | was I suspected thrown away at school. She |
| has a penchant for saying whatever comes into | | | | absolutely hated anybody in the family going |
| her head and not pulling any punches, she didn't | | | | through her school bag or her room. Her sense of |
| help herself. The year after we had the | | | | privacy was and still is of the utmost importance |
| psychological test done, she had a teacher who | | | | to her. On this particular day, I did go through her |
| actively disliked her. I was called to the school a | | | | bag as it was the beginning of the holidays and |
| number of times as Jess was not co-operating. | | | | school bag stank. What I found would have |
| Initially I felt empathy for the teacher but as time | | | | turned the strongest stomach. There were literally |
| went by and the teacher wanted me to "gang | | | | a dozen or more uneaten mouldy lunches, some |
| up" on Jess, I really started to question where | | | | so old and mouldy they were just dust. This |
| she was coming from and felt very defensive | | | | prompted me to look in her bedroom, also smelly. |
| and also quite helpless. Lots of things happened | | | | We found numerous lunched hidden under her |
| which are now difficult to remember as there | | | | bed, her bookcase, her chair and anywhere else |
| were so many and we really just lived through | | | | where she could reasonably hide things. What we |
| day to day. | | | | couldn't understand was why she hadn't just |
| It was during this time that we noticed her | | | | thrown them away at school when we would |
| intense interest/obsession with certain things such | | | | have been none the wiser. This seemed like a cry |
| as James Bond movies, the Parent Trap movie | | | | for help. That day I took her to the doctor who |
| which she watched 52 (note the exact number - | | | | recommended that we phone the local health |
| she counted) times, Pokemon and flags of | | | | service. We got in to see someone fairly quickly |
| countries. She was also fascinated with all things | | | | and spent the next 2 years and a bi-weekly or |
| Scottish and at 6 years old taught herself some | | | | weekly basis talking with a rather nice but |
| Gaelic. She was also able to recall dates with | | | | ineffective lady. |
| amazing ease. When she got a little older her | | | | One of the first things the counsellor |
| obsession transferred to the rock group Queen. | | | | recommended was that we attend a Social Skills |
| She got on to the Queen forum and was one of | | | | group run by the local University. I asked her |
| their most prolific posters. If you were to ask | | | | after the first session what she thought and she |
| what Freddie Mercury was doing at a certain point | | | | said "it's ok but they're all weird." We had our |
| of his life she would be able to tell you. Actually | | | | funny times too! |
| not just Freddie Mercury but any member of the | | | | Look out for the third and final installment of our |
| band! | | | | story. |