Oh for goodness sakes. Lighten up Frances.
Yes Andy. We are on the same page. It can be a huge compliment when a genius is placed in this spectrum, and lots of them are. Look at the parents, Trump is a genius and Melania is very introspective and atypical in addition to her great beauty. But just because DJT basks in the limelight, it does not mean his wife and kid feel the same and want to smile for snapping cameras.
In fact, Melania has been elusive from both the NYC & Palm Beach social scene and has rarely been interviewed. Barron has never been paraded, they don’t need the money! Melania’s the polar opposite of Ivana, who kept herself constantly in the news. Except for a few birthday parties and introducing her private line, Melania has shielded herself & Barron for ten years from paparazzi. The boy is camera shy and has not been on the campaign show-parade. Likewise, Trump has always controlled camera access to their private family vacations which is simple for him since he owns all the resorts that they frequent.
I’ve known a few children who have been at different levels within the A- spectrum. Many are high level physician’s or engineer’s sons. Their stories are all so very different. But it sure helps if they have a lot of love, faith, and -lots of money to improve their lives.
Mikey- an autism story which turned out well because the parents have a strong faith and luckily are very wealthy.
I’ve know Mikey since birth, he was a very cute and handsome kid. But he was always hypersensitive and very difficult. This child was antisocial with nearly complete eye contact avoidance. Any physical contact outside his immediate family was impossible. He was scared or phobic of nearly everything. He sat and rocked and screamed if you entered his space, grossly over-reacted to any little thing.
We weren’t sure how much of this was spoiling to the disorder- or for real. However, their other younger child was 100% normal, happy and well adjusted. Mikey had to be physically restrained and isolated frequently. Although he was really cute, he was a pathetic little creature behaving liking a 4 year old infant. He began a very nice Christian preschool at age 4, and was kicked out the same day. The public school system labelled Mikey with autism. The parents rejected the label and took matters in their own (wealthy) hands.
They built a private school on their property and invited homeschool kids to join. The mom carefully selected which kids got along and were tolerant of Mikey. Those who were critical or unkind, were not invited back. She was the chief anti-bully patrol of her own school. I recommended they literally force him to participate in activities and they did.
The dad forced Mikey to swim competitively and they built a mini sports complex on the property where ‘select’ kids were invited. The dad forced Mike to join boy scouts (my idea) where he learned to be with outdoorsy-exploring boys and men. They forced him to join Bible youth group and they hosted the parties- incurring all the costs and monitoring for bully behavior or misbehavior.
Although Mike had been very antisocial, the parents were able to socialize him selectively through groups of well-behaved primarily Christian kids. His mom ran interference 24-7 for Mikey and so he was unable to stand for himself. Mikey became a persistent annoying little tattler. Everyone knew the deal, tolerate Mikey and the opulent opportunities on their campus will continue. While Mikey had been a struggling basket-case in the earlier years, he had progressed and needed to experience some reality.
The dad finally said enough of homeschool and Mikey’s sheltered environment. He insisted Mike find a high school where he could function. They rejected the boarding school idea. They bussed Mike to a small Christian school. Mike hated the school, the new kids, and was struggling-nearly flunking out in every subject. The dad persisted, wanted both their kids in the Christian school. Mike was referred to a specialist and his life took a 100 degree turn.
Mike began some behavioral therapy, tutoring, and a new diet and supplements with lots of Omega Fats, whale krill or something along those lines. Possibly some prescription meds as well, not sure. The failing grades became straight A’s within six months. Socially, he improved - somewhat. Mike graduated high school at 19 with honors. Mike earned his Eagle Scout honor award and he plays in a Christian rock band. Mike is at a Christian College living in a dormitory and will earn a Music degree. He functions without his parents in the room! His independence is just on a much slower track than some. They had shielded him from a lot of negatives for nearly 20 years, and it paid off.
Looking back, I can’t imagine how Mikey’s life would have developed without his parents interest, because I’ve also witnessed less severe kids who have had a miserable time. I have friends whose kids had legit diagnosis of aspergers. Boarding schools for special needs are $40,000-60,000 per year. Most of these schools are in the NY-NJ area or New England. The parents sacrifice to get their kids help and ship them off out of the area. Some of the kids never make it to college and some of these schools are a huge waste or even harmful. Parents are often disappointed and withdraw or rotate between schools. Sometimes the school fits the kid.
Without very concerned and involved parents fighting for these children, the choices can be grim: heavy-medications (age 4+), institutionalization, middle-school drop-outs, alcoholism, lots of drugs, repeatedly assaulted, suicide, and the boys are often preyed upon by gay men.
To suggest someone else’s kid has aspergers, autism, or any emotional, attentional, or personality disorder is no laughing or causal matter. Not to those who follow them to adulthood. I’ve seen too many unfortunate cases; sorrow and empathy are the words that come to mind. It’s an added struggle. Most families do not have the financial means or availability of quality assistance in their area.
And in case anyone bothered to read this far, one of the premier schools for special needs is in Connecticut, and another in NJ. I would bet that if Barron needed specialized assistance that his brilliant parents or genius siblings would have figured that out by now. Rest assured, Trump will make sure that his son has the best education that suits his individual needs. We have no need to worry or second guess him. No need to pry into his life about things that have zero impact on the state of American affairs.