Marshall has Asperger's Syndrome. It's a form of Autism. I know calling him my Aspie sounds kinda strange, but it is a nickname for people with Asperger's. Marshall is in 2nd grade this year, and will be 8 in a few weeks. He can be the sweetest, most loving kid on the planet, but then in the same minute, something can make him angry, and he flies off the handle. He doesn't TRY to be angry and mean. He just can't handle the big feelings he gets. We are trying to teach him to control his emotions a little better. We are able to diffuse his major angry meltdowns sometimes, which is a HUGE improvement. He struggles to understand what to do in certain situations. For example, a kid at school kept irritating him. Marshall told him to stop, but the kid kept pestering Marshall, and even hit him. So, Marshall did the only logical thing he knew how to do: he followed the Golden Rule, or what HE thought was the Golden Rule. He did unto others as others did unto him. That is how he understood it. The boy hit him first, so Marshall gave him "Payback". We are working hard to help him understand that he has to report to a teacher if he gets hurt, and not hit the kid back. Oh, this is a tough time. He wants kids to like him, but they don't always do what he wants them to do. He has a script in his mind, and if they don't want to follow his script, he gets mad and doesn't want to play with them. He really WANTS to be social, but on his terms. All we can do is pray for guidance on how to teach him, and pray for patience. We need LOTS of patience.
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