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Your step-daughter is lucky to have you!

A lot of autistic, Aspberger's kids are musical. Caitlin has a nice singing voice, and can memoris lyrics in a snap, but has no real interest in persuing it!

You go right ahead and talk about yourself as much as you like!

You are amongst friends!

Now divorced at 47, I made a choice not to turn my back on my brother (48) who maybe had/has AS with an IQ around 90. It cost me my marriage/relationship for 19 yrs. While growing up, my brother, could remember EVERY LYRIC to all the Beatles songs from 1963-1968, sing them, tell me who wrote it, what album it was on and what year it came out. He could also watch a cartoon, then draw scenes from it repeating ALL the dialog. He was put in special ed classes from second grade up and managed to get his GED. He served 11 years in the Army, has only had one girlfriend ever and has never married. He drives an 18 wheeler now, is HAZMAT II certified making $60K a year.

Anyway, he knows trucking and NASCAR. Hand him a 1040EZ to fill out, solve a simple geoemtry problem, or have him write an essay and he is completely lost.

Anyway, in a 16 month period starting 6/2001, Randy came to stay for awhile with me and the ex....I could tell something wasn't right with him though he was driving local and roommate with a single friend; Dad had 2 major surgeries, 8/03/01 then 01/19/02; brother had surgery 9/08/01, Mom (step mom actually)had surgery on 9/11/01, wife left on 11/02/01 to have an affair with an ex-friend / neighbor of 6yrs. whose wife I buried and was a pallbearer for 8/25/2000; 11 yr old lab I raised from 6 weeks old, Luke, died Christmas night 12/25/01; the company I worked for layed off 40% its workforce 04/2002; Dad died 9/18/2002.

I was told by the ex that my brother is nothing but a pain in the rear, I didn't have any energy or time for her or our friends, didn't care about her feelings the summer of 2001 while working for 8 weeks straight with no days off 65-70 (big project)hours with 1/2 day off for Dad's first surgery. I told the ex that RAndy had no place to go or anyone else to help with his recovery since Mom was occupied with Dad's recovery.

So, after that, my brother is now my permanent roommate I see every 3 weeks. All I can say is, so guess who was there for me when I needed someone? Randy was. He was there and has been for me to share my pain (listen) through the separation and divorce because he did not go back to driving until 06/2002. Randy and I were adopted in Germany 56 and 57 from different single mothers. He and I never knew our biological parents. If not for the strengths given to me and my brother by my (adopted)Dad and step mom, guess I could have folded on my own emotions.

So, 'T' sometimes we all have inner strengths we're not even aware of and of those around us. Life will just test us from time to time. It's amazing what we can learn about ourselves and life from those "quirky" people we love so much. And sometimes, those that seem so "normal" can really fool you.

Interestingly, 12yo Brendan draws like an 8yo (stick figures are about it) but he has perfect pitch, and can work out a song note by note on the piano or singing, after hearing it a few times. He's in a church youth choral group and really enjoys it. He reads sheet music like the ABCs. Math: easy. English composition: almost impossible.