/Lori

[Guest guest]

<< doesn't really HAVE friends. He thinks he does...he calls his

classmates

and fellow scouts his " friends " , but no one ever calls or asks him to get

together. >>

Hi, Everyone.........I wouldn't say that he doesn't have any friends

just because no one calls and invites him over. Kids rarely called Gareth,

too, but I know he had friends at school because I was always watching or

volunteering and saw the friendships. Most normal kids only have one or two

close friends anyways.

<< it seems to me to be highly over-rated. I wanted my kids to fit into

the neighborhood and have

friend next door etc.. Our experience has been that 80 per cent of the

time, the kids in the neighborhood are really mean to my kids.>>

Lori.......we haven't lived in a neighborhood like this. With all our

moves, we have always counted on the neighborhood kids to play (willingly) with

Gareth --- whether his older brother was with him or not.

About churches..........we have always included Gareth in religious

services (Masses). In the beginning, I always sat in the back rows so I could

make a quick exit if needed. When he was old enough to receive the

Sacraments, there were people to teach him. When Confirmation time came, I

helped

in the classroom because there were two other autistic kids. I even went to

a parish seminar to learn ways to teach autistic kids because our last

parish had no spec ed teachers for the kids. If something is not available,

then, I jumped in to help.

Take care, Everyone.

Margaret