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A leap of faith (about autistic college graduate)

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KenG
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19 Apr 2008, 1:55 pm

MARY ESTHER — Lorann Hollis took a leap of faith when she ordered a class ring last year for her son.

Matthew, 26, was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome when he was 14. He was told he’d never drive a car, let alone graduate from college.

He is on track to do both:
http://www.nwfdailynews.com/article/13620


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Yoshie777
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19 Apr 2008, 1:58 pm

KenG wrote:
MARY ESTHER — Lorann Hollis took a leap of faith when she ordered a class ring last year for her son.

Matthew, 26, was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome when he was 14. He was told he’d never drive a car, let alone graduate from college.

He is on track to do both:
http://www.nwfdailynews.com/article/13620


Not graduate from college? What kind of nonsense is that?


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Rainbow-Squirrel
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19 Apr 2008, 3:33 pm

Yoshie777 wrote:

Not graduate from college? What kind of nonsense is that?


I'm sure they are kidding...



nirrti_rachelle
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19 Apr 2008, 11:15 pm

Yoshie777 wrote:
KenG wrote:
MARY ESTHER — Lorann Hollis took a leap of faith when she ordered a class ring last year for her son.

Matthew, 26, was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome when he was 14. He was told he’d never drive a car, let alone graduate from college.

He is on track to do both:
http://www.nwfdailynews.com/article/13620


Not graduate from college? What kind of nonsense is that?


I'm glad I'm not the only one thinking that's odd. Did the doctor confuse Asperger's with mental retardation or something? I would think having Asperger's actually increases your chances of going to college.


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Chibi_Neko
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21 Apr 2008, 10:54 am

Not graduate from college? What's wrong with this doctor? I graduated from college when I was 19, I also bought my car at that time and moved to town to work, I bought my first house last year!

I's love to have a talking-to with this doctor. :roll:


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aspiegirl2
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25 Apr 2008, 1:06 am

I agree with you guys...that's totally nuts that one, especially a doctor, would think that because someone has Asperger's that they can't graduate from college. How many experts and Nobel prize winners have had Asperger's?...It's just interesting that anyone with knowledge in the medical field would think that. I don't think that that doctor even knew what Asperger's was lol.


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9CatMom
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25 Apr 2008, 8:02 pm

I never did get a driver's license, but I have a Master's Degree in English. My kindergarten teacher said, because of a difference, never specified by anyone throughout my school career (but which I strongly suspect to be Asperger's), I would never learn English. (My first language was German). A year later, I was reading at fifth grade level. By sixth grade, I had vocabulary scores near college level. I received an award for outstanding achievement in English at my high school graduation and had a 3.6 average overall, my best performance in any year. I have an Associate's, Bachelor's and Master's in English. So much for that teacher's prediction!

What would have happened if an English boy's parents were told, "Well, Roger isn't like the other boys. He is too studious, not good at sports and way too serious. He has a problem we can't understand. He will probably be a good student, but will never do anything great athletically or get married." History showed that a man named Roger Bannister did it ALL! He broke the four minute mile, became a doctor and has been married to his wife, Moyra, for over 50 years. His biography shows strong indications of AS.
I hang on to Bannister's story for inspiration. He was considered different all of his life, but achieved greatness.