Being the father of fraternal twin girls, I have long known that Noor was "different." It has come to light in the last couple of years that she is likely living with Asperger's. We've had several discussions with school staff and with our permission they have been testing her. So far, the indicators are very strongly pointing at Asperger's. When I read accounts from other parents of kids with Asperger's their stories sound a lot like mine. We'll know "for sure" next month, but in a lot of ways I think I already knew.
Noor is just the sweetest kid. She's often my buddy on Saturday afternoons, my wife taking her sister on at the store that we own We work on projects around the house and play games and make art and whatever else. I have been trying to not "cure" her but just help her understand better how the NTs of the world operate so that she can find her own way of interacting with them. In my eyes, she has a perfectly fine way of seeing the world, it's just that a lot of people who don't see the world her way do not understand her at all, and social isolation has resulted.
She's had some bumps. Just last week she lashed out at a kid and then threatened to punch her teacher and ended up getting a half-day suspension. The teacher and the principal have been in on our discussions regarding Noor, but they cannot have kids threatening violence at teachers.
My wife has always been considered a bit "off-beat" as well, and, reflecting, we're not totally convinced that she was NT when she was a little girl either. For that matter, I am not sure that her mother or grandmother were NT either.
While I am likely NT (I guess the jury is still out on that one, too, LOL), I am trying to do everything I can to help Noor have an easier time in the wider world. I have been trying some role-playing with situations that seem to come up a lot, such as the ones where some kid teases her and she overreacts to the point of throwing a huge tantrum or crying or threatening violence. I have been reading some of the topics here and I feel that I have a lot to learn and something to share, too.
Thanks,
Adam