Comments on: In Their Own Words – I Am Michael

By: Brett

Brett — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 23:31:05 +0000

I have a 16 year old boy who has aspergers. He is about the equivalent to a 12 year old intelectually. I love my son very much but it is a very difficult for my wife and I to deal with. We have been able to get accommadations in school for him. It is very upsetting to us that he does not fit in socially but it is what it is. Michael is very well liked at school but often is left out of social gatherings. I love my son with all my heart. I wish he was able to get along socially. That would make things much easier. My heart goes out to all the families with an asperger child. God bless you!

By: Michael's Dad

Michael's Dad — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 00:31:57 +0000

Thanks very much for your post, Leslie. I showed it to Michael recently and told him that you had Tshirts made based on his poem.

He was very proud and pleased.

Gary

By: Leslie

Leslie — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 21:39:54 +0000

To Michael’s Dad:

This Poem that Michael wrote was one of the first I read on this blog. This Poem reminded me so much of my own 10 year old son with Aspergers. So this weekend when we walk the Walk Now for Autism Speaks in Dallas – we walk for my son A.J., we walk for Michael and we walk for all of the children out there who do not have a voice!

Thank you Michael for your inspiration … as our T-Shirts will say “Do YOU see the Molecules??” Because we believe that seeing the molecules is a GIFT!

By: O Podell

O Podell — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 16:00:54 +0000

Ah, if others could be more tolerant and truly understand ……
Michael put this so beautifully.

By: Katrena

Katrena — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 09:18:05 +0000

Michael you DO have a purpose in life your purpose is to be a teacher and to teach others how to understand what Autism Spectrum Disorders are..both clinically and deep down to the core of the person and to help them be more considerate of you and others like you. You have already started reaching for this higher purpose through this beautiful and sad poem. I too have a son named Michael who is turning 8 this month but he has a more moderately severe form of Autism than you apparently as he isn’t able to speak and barely understands what a speech device is and how to use it however I have already experienced some of your heartbreaking loneliness FOR him. He is in a special needs class at school and almost all of the kids are autistic in there so none of them are able to maintain a relationship with him as a friend in a social setting. But at least they are all similar to him in differing ways so he feels like he fits in there I’m sure but how long before being so young is no longer a defense and the other kids start to tease and bully just because he is IN a special needs class and add to that the autism. He isn’t out of diapers yet as he doesn’t seem to connect the feeling of needing to go with the steps of what he needs to do but can go with prompting and I’m positive that will just make things that much worse for him with the other kids. Also he has his next door neighbors child who attempts to come over and play with him every few months but after only about 5 minutes decides to leave because Michael doesn’t play WITH people he plays BESIDE them still and does his own thing and can’t talk and the other boy doesn’t understand even after education and gets bored and leaves. At this point I have to watch Michael’s heartbreak as he stands at the door and cries for 15 minutes inconsolably and doesn’t understand why his “friend” left because HE thought they were having fun. It would almost be better for him it seems if the boy didn’t even come over. Sigh. I hope Richard sees this and decides to mull it around in his brain some because in cases like this it IS awww poor little kid Kudos and Wonderful job Michael for expressing something so personal and yet something that ALL of us need to see

By: Jessica

Jessica — Fri, 14 May 2010 03:37:42 +0000

Thank you for writing this Michael. My daughter is 17 and she has had to deal with this same thing all her life. She has gotten to a place where she can make friends but it took until 10th grade to really get there. She had to work at it and even then kids were really mean to her. I am sending you my love and you have a ton of friends here on this site! I know that you will make it thru. Take Care!!!

By: Sheila Tryon

Sheila Tryon — Sat, 01 May 2010 03:56:24 +0000

We go through life thinking we are normal, when we see things that don’t fit into our idea of normalcy we stare sometimes a little to hard or think the wrong thing. I thank God for Michael for having the courage to express himself when so many “normal”" people don’t have a clue. Much love for Michael his family and for all of us that a touched by Autism.

By: debra walters

debra walters — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 16:56:16 +0000

Thank you for submitting that poignant poem by Michael! We, sometimes, need a reminder that they feel just as much as we do. Thank you for the reminder. I hope Michael has many friends to play with. Our grandson is on the spectrum and is 8 years old. He is in a socialization class for kids on the spectrum. It has helped him tremendously, to be able to respond appropriately to kids at school. He doesn’t cry when he looses, or get mad when they play differently than him. He is learning how to be a good friend. I hope you all can find something like this in your area. Thank you Michael for being a great friend :)

By: George

George — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 07:53:28 +0000

sorry one more comment: one of the biggest differences between Aspergers and Autism is Language or more specifically the ability to speak, You have the gift of speech were many kids with autism do not.
imagine how different you wold have felt if for you to write your comments on this message board someone had to give you a selection of words for each line you wrote
and with just that you had to express yourself and how you feel. That is a hard ans sometimes impossible thing to do if you are lower on the spectrum, one only have to meet a single profoundly autistic person to understand what I am talking about.

By: George

George — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 07:39:18 +0000

Hey Richard you have the right to say whatever you want to say and it is relevant. You are obviously very passionate and vocal about your situation, It’s hard to accept that people feel you are different when inside you feel the same, We all have differences in our personalities and we are all individuals. We have to ask the question what is different, really.. usually it is the difference between what we deem to be the norm or the similarities of the collective and in most cases it is what society deems to be the norm or normal. People saying oh poor kid or I feel so sorry for him, is probably the most important emotion that we have as human beings, even though you feel that the comments here are “Bull” as you put it I am sure that they are genuine. You are a popular kid in school because you are vocal and you care what people think and you care about how people interact with others, as well as people with special needs. You can make a difference in the world if you direct your feelings positively and with less anger, It’s unfortunate that you used inappropriate language that was edited out of your message,I really would have liked to hear what you had to say. Take care.

By: Caroline

Caroline — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 01:21:26 +0000

Your poem is touching; i would like to give you a HUG.

By: Jody Fife

Jody Fife — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 23:51:57 +0000

As a parent of my own 13 year old Michael with Aspergers, ADHD and Bi-polar disorder, we have many days like this where he feels alone. It’s so hard to see your child hurting. Thank you Michael for writing this beautiful poem. You are important. You are worthy and you are loved. Peace be with you and your family.

By: Sharon

Sharon — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 22:28:24 +0000

It concerns me that although you have been provided with a “diagnosis” you feel the need to lash out at a young boy with Asperger’s rather than understanding what the condition of Asperger’s is and how it affects those afflicted with it. I am sure that we can all relate to traits of the condition and think “could I have it?” but that doesn’t mean we make life difficult for those with it. You should be grateful that there are people in this world who are empathetic to the plight of those on the spectrum and are advocates for their well being and support. Every one of these kids that I know or met that are on the spectrum are beautiful children full of love with something to offer, they just struggle to get that message to their peers. It is a shame that based on your comments I cannot say the same of yourself.

By: Carol Maczka

Carol Maczka — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 20:17:48 +0000

I have a entirely new view of autistic children since reading Michael’s poem. I now understand that even though they may not be able to express to us how they are feeling, THEY ARE FEELING! They have all the same feelings our other children have but they are trapped inside. Please thank Michael for opening my eyes to something that I was ignorant of. He has a gift I hope he continues with!

By: Teresa Earls

Teresa Earls — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 16:24:07 +0000

As a parent of a Michael with the same problems as your son I feel where your coming from along with your child. My Michael goes though the same thing one friend. Well the other day his friend left him for someone else which my Michael don’t understand that is okay for him to have two friends. Thanks for the poem.

By: Lin

Lin — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 15:40:59 +0000

Michael, this is beautiful. You are surrounded by angels who are your friends. My son is autistic and if he could express his feelings, he would probably write something like you have written. Thank you, sweetie, for sharing your poem!

By: sue ann

sue ann — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 15:08:05 +0000

Hi Michael, All the fears I have for my own son who is 6 with classic autism was put in the poem you wrote. It is not easy even for typical people to write their feelings down, you Michael have done this wonderfully. Maybe one day you will be a writer with many, many friends. Hope you find peace and a happy, happy life.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 14:19:48 +0000

Thank you Michael – your poem is beautiful. You remind me so much of my own son (8 years old).

By: Laura

Laura — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 13:55:25 +0000

This child is entitled to his feelings, Aspergers diagnosis or not. Please let him–and us–express ourselves as we want.

By: John

John — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 06:52:00 +0000

Heart breaking.. my son is 12 and much lower on the spectrum, he is non verbal and cannot communicate as Michael has.. I often wonder what he is thinking and feeling and would give anything to crawl inside his head for a day.. This poem should be required reading for all of the typical kids in school to help them understand.. I feel for you Michael and wish you the best!

By: Lisa

Lisa — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 04:28:25 +0000

what a great poem….
my son who is now 16 asked me over a year ago “will someone ever love me”.

By: George

George — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 04:25:43 +0000

That was very touching, Being a kid is hard enough I can only imagine the challenges that one faces when they are in a situation where they have a difficult time, piecing together the world around them, and trying to understand the nuances of emotion interaction and language. I have an 8 year old boy on the spectrum and I know that the only way he will learn those nuances is to coach him, teach him in the way he will understand, give him the right words to use, role play situations with him, it may take 20 30 or even a hundred times, but I have found that once he pieces it together in his own mind, he manages his interactions and has meaningful relationships, Parents ! Take the time to do this with your kids special needs or not. They don’t teach this in school at school people often believe that their kids will figure out that on their own. It’s no wonder bullying still exists in a day and age where most agree it is not acceptable. This poem speaks volumes to remind us that we are responsible for our kids, and that they need us more than ever. We can’t sit around and wait for god to surround them people who will care about them , it’s our job.

By: veito moretti

veito moretti — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 04:05:45 +0000

THAT IS SO HEART BREAKING-I SEE THE SAME IN MY SON WHEN HE TRIES TO PLAY WITH OTHERS. MY PRAYERS ARE WITH YOU MICHAEL!!!!!

Noah’s Daddy

By: Margaret

Margaret — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 03:42:26 +0000

I read this poem and I felt overwhelming grief. I do not want any child to feel despair. Its is our responsiblity to make sure children treat other children with respect and are kind. Children do not know what you do not share with them in your own home. Teach them to treat others as they would want to be treated.

By: cheryl hansen

cheryl hansen — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 02:43:43 +0000

Im the mother of a child with autism ,and to me he is life more wonderful gift, he may not be like other child and for that I thank God I thanks him for the wonderful person he sent me my Son Robbie , who yes is not like other child bit he trys

By: Laura Brooks

Laura Brooks — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 02:27:53 +0000

Me too! I love all children, mine are fortunately not autistic or anything at all… praise God, but I have a very special soft spot in my heart for autistic kids. They are SO unique, I wish most people thought like they do. I AM YOUR FRIEND SWEETIE!!!!!!

By: Jen

Jen — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 01:39:56 +0000

I feel this is my 9 yr old son to a tee. He only has one friend and has expressed these same feelings. He too is on the spectrum and has ADHD.

By: Susan

Susan — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 01:33:03 +0000

My heart ached when I read this poem, and oh how the tears flowed! My son Elijah is 7 and has aspberger’s. I see his constant struggles with social interaction and being that I am an employee at the school he attends I probably see more than most parents would. Thank you so much for sharing this. My heart goes out to Michael and the family and we will keep all of you in our prayers!

By: Susan

Susan — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 01:16:23 +0000

My heart melted when I read this story. I have a 7 year old son named Elijah and he has asperger’s. I see his everyday struggles with his social skills. Thank you so much for sharing this so all could see.

By: Mary Ellen

Mary Ellen — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 00:57:50 +0000

Hugs to you all. I am a public school employee seeing more and more cases each day. The degrees are mind boggling. It is poems like this that help me enter into their world’s to help them cope with life and society and their feelings. Thanks for sharing. Peace and Prayers.