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Hi all:

I'm Liza, Mom to four great kids. My oldest daughter is schizophrenic, as was my mother. My daughter creates a serious sense of deja vu within me. It's like living with my mom all over again, but in reverse. She also had a seizure after a DPT vaccine at age 14 years, and has since been hospitalized with rare, life-threatening reactions (NMS) to anti-psychotic medications that left her with seizures and partially paralyzed for weeks. Her life is not easy, and it takes a toll on all of us.

My oldest son, who is 14, has Asperger's. He was diagnosed at age 11. For years I thought he was simply rebellious. I had no idea that the lack of eye contact, the refusal to wear certain clothing materials (like jeans), the demand to have all tags cut from his shirts, the screaming fits every time I forced him to sit at the dinner table (he couldn't stand the sound of chewing or the smell of the food), the obsessive focus on insect life cycles, gold fish, and legos, to name a few, and the horrible meltdowns and social anxiety, had anything to do with him being neurologically different. It was a co-worker who first mentioned the possibility of Asperger's to me when I was describing his behavior and our exhausting struggles at home to her.

My youngest daughter, who is 13, is the brainiac of the family, winning essay contests and scoring in the top of the 12th grade SAT for the Duke TIP program. She has some social anxiety problems, as evidenced by the fact that I was barely able to get her to enter the testing room. She had to go in after everyone else did, and after many tears and much coaxing, we got her to go to the back of the room, away from everyone else, with her back to them. She also won't go the bathroom by herself in large public gatherings, like the fair, even if I am right outside. I have to go in with her, and be right there when she exits the bathroom stall. She doesn't like crowds, but she has a rather impressive circle of friends, and makes friends easily. Her tastes/interests are somewhat eccentric, and she spends a lot of time writing spooky fantasies, or drawing anime. She's quite good!

My youngest son has no social problems whatsoever. He is the nerdy, Scientific kid, whose never gonna be Mr. Popular, and that's ok with me. He is kind, loving, gentle, and way too smart for his own good!....

My family history also includes migraine variants and seizures. There is no doubt that our genes have us wired a bit differently. I myself had terrible social anxiety and panic attacks in my teen and young adult years. I would panic after I first started driving, if I was driving in unfamiliar territory. I would have to pull over so I didn't pass out at the wheel.

I also didn't land too many second dates after entering a restaurant with a date, and seeing all the people look up from their plates as we entered, and I would just as quickly exit the building in a sweaty panic. I'm relieved to tell you all that I have outgrown this, and I am now quite outgoing, friendly, socially fearless, and empathetic. However, too much social interaction leaves me exhausted, and I have to retreat for my own personal quiet time. I can also be quite blunt and detached when needed.

I suffer from vestibular migraine, which, at one time, was so debilitating before it was properly diagnosed, that I was having seizure activity, and I saw contrails on moving objects for days after bad episodes. Even when I'm not having active migraines, I still have balance disturbances, vertigo, and noise sensitivity, as does my Aspie son. We have both learned to handle this much better these days.

When Jess started middle school three years ago, in a large charter school, he spent the first year eating lunch in the office. He couldn't handle the sounds and smells of the cafeteria. Today he can. We both have anxious moments when the car stereo sounds carry from one speaker to another. Sometimes, I mistakenly think it's a siren, and I look around for emergency vehicles, when in reality, it is merely the sounds being divided into two speakers. Makes my heart race-LOL!

My family is neurologically different. I get this. We don't emphasize Jesse's weaknesses. We concentrate on his strengths, and encourage him to pursue what he is good at (computers and insects). I know it matters to the Language Arts teacher that he completes that Haiku, but I don't care. Jesse has no interest in that which has no pragmatic purpose in his life, and I get this. He is becoming more socially adept. He has a best friend, a circle of friends, and has had several girlfriends, too.

Thanks for reading my background, and saying hello to me and my family! I hope to familiarize myself here in the forums, and get to know all of you!

Hi and welcome to Wrong Planet
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ear2psj1WNo[/youtube]

Hello

Starcity, I LOVED that triangle game video! LOL! Thank you very much! With my childhood history, with my mom, playing the perpetual victim is something that came naturally to me, but I rejected it. I've played every part of that triangle-I bet we all have. Thank you for that!

Welcome to Wrong Planet!