SET UP OF A TEENAGER WITH ASPERGER'S SYNDROME
I have Asperger's Syndrome, and one symptom of this condition is gullibility. When I was a kid, other kids used to take advantage of this all the time, having laughs at my expense.
Probably the most significant example, however, would have been the incident which occurred when I was 16. By then I'd finally made some friends ( the most important symptom of Asperger's Syndrome is difficulty socialising and making friends because of appearing different ) and, along with one other guy, was invited round to the house of one of them after school. To begin with, everything seemed to go well. This guy lived alone with his mother, and she'd gone out. So the 3 of us were there by ourselves, just chatting away and chilling out.
Presently it was time for me to leave, and I told this to the person whose house it was. He replied to me in a very apologetic way that I'd need to climb out the living room window, as his mum had double-bolted the door when going out, thinking none of us would be leaving before she was back, and he unfortunately didn't have a key. So he summoned me over to the window and opened it for me, and I climbed out.
Once out, he announced to me that the whole thing was bogus - the front door was not unopenable - and the other friend ( were they in fact proper friends? ) instantly started roaring with laughter, and after calming down a bit told me in a sniggering way that he ( the person who lived there ) was going to let him out the " proper " way, and so he did. Then the two of us walked away together.
I was furious with him. I hadn't had much opportunity to be angry with the guy who lived there, but I could tell that this other person had been involved in the set up as well, and when I tried to give him a piece of my mind all he could insist on was that it had been funny beyond belief. I knew he would go round school telling everybody all about what had happened, and that I would start to look really bad.
Perhaps I should have ended my friendship wtih both of them right then and there, only I would have been the one to suffer as they had other friends as well and I didn't. Boy, are kids cruel, and that applies to teenagers as well. The attitude just seems to be, if you sense any signs of weakness and being different don't show any sympathy, just take advantage, take advantage, take advantage....
I still feel quite angry about it now.
(Gandalf, Sun 24 Aug 2008, 19:24, 6 replies)

Well
teenagers are like that, what can you do?
( Squiggy Alloria makes theme parks., Sun 24 Aug 2008, 19:26, closed)

Yep teenagers are twats.
I was a twat when I was a teenager. Me and one of my friends used to make fun of this other boy, right up until my friend got bored with me and went and told him all the stuff "I'd" been saying. They then set about pushing me out of their social circle, actually pelting me with stones the day I finally just walked away. I deserved it right enough, and realised how cruel we'd all been. It took a while but after a few awkward weeks alone I made some new friends and never took them for granted again.
( baw__bag contains traces of nuts on, Sun 24 Aug 2008, 19:42, closed)

Reply to Baw Bag
Maybe in a way you deserved it, but it was unfortunate that you alone had to take the fall for something other people had been involved in as well. Would you say you learnt a lot from the experience?
(Gandalf, Sun 24 Aug 2008, 19:50, closed)

Gandalf
I really feel for you.
Being a teenager is hard enough but to be a teenager with Asperger's must have been truly dreadful.
I suppose what they did could have been worse, at least this was nothing criminal, and I guess you learned a lesson in what makes a good friend.
I do hope that time has helped you find your way in society.
( Mrs Entity is in hiding., Sun 24 Aug 2008, 20:46, closed)

Gandalf
Are you sure that they were deliberately intending to be mean, or could they possibly have just been having a friendly bit of fun?

I mean... did they actually do or say anything to indicate that they wanted to hurt you?
(EuroSong I love horse meat: best of all the animals, Mon 25 Aug 2008, 9:05, closed)

My son has Aspergers too
Hi Gandalf,my son has Aspergers as well ,and he had big problems till at least 15 with kids at school ripping the piss out of him.He also cant understand certain things are why they are.He,s also got a hell of a temper when things dont go his way...Took 14 years for the fucking doctors to diagnose it mind.Keep your chin up mate.
(andycrass loves two hats on, Mon 25 Aug 2008, 15:39, closed)