Mail from Rudy:
Hi, people call me Rudy. I am the grandmother of a 7 year old boy with aspergers. He is very special just like you. We knew he had a problem with people when he screamed at most people as an infant. We worked very hard at getting him comfortable talking and interacting with people. He is doing very well in school. He has not been formally diagnosed but has all of the symptons. It is good to see that someone like you is doing so well in life.
Sincerely, Rudy
Hey Rudy,
It was great reading your message. I really appreciate your kind words about me. Just remember no matter who any one is, people are special no matter what. Hope your grandson keeps the good work!!
Best regards,
J
Mailbag from Sara:
Hi Jason!
I am currently watching the PBS documentary that you participated in and I literally could not wait for it to conclude before I emailed you. I was soo touched by your story and was soo sad to hear that you feel that some people have not accepted you and lied to you. I do not have you condition, but also find myself taking peoples words or stories too literal. Due to this, I usually miss the joke or ask questions to be sure that I understand. I can relate to you 🙂 I think many people take the simple things in life for granted and am grateful for you and your story as I feel that it has helped me to see things that I have that I dont even think about. I will be sharing this documentary with all my loved ones and I hope that peoples knowledge and awareness continues to grow. You are wonderful, and anyone who is lucky to meet you and have you as part of their lives is blessed! I read many of the letters posted to you and see that you have many more friends than the average person! I wish you the very best and have become a fan of yours and your blog 🙂Sara
Dear Sara,
Thank you for your wonderful insightful email and kind words about me. I really appreciate it. I also want to thank you for watching me on This Emotional Life and help spreading the word. I hope more people watch and learn from it too. I am glad you have learned many things from me and now you better understand the way different minds work. Hope you are having a wonderful year so far and continue moving forward to the many different things life has to offer.
Yours truly,
J
Mail From Cody:
Jason,
I recently watched a PBS documentary with you in it. I’m a 26 year old
college graduate currently working on my masters in counseling psychology. I
intern at a clinic on my schools campus and I have a multitude of clients
with different diagnosis and problems. I have one client in particular who
has a diagnosis of Aspergers and until recently felt hopeless in his skills
to relate and have successful relationships. I showed him your segment on
the documentary with hopes that your story could motivate him and it did
just that. He uses your awesome progress to fuel his own. So I just wanted
to thank you for helping me and especially my client move past hurtles in
therapy. It was very brave of you to share your world with everyone like
you did. You truly are an inspiration to me.
Sincerely,
Cody
Dear Cody,
I hope you are having a great week. I am glad you were be able to help others who were struggling to stay motivated and build healthy relationships. Its important for any one to feel that they are special doing things they love to do. Motivation is key no matter where any one gets that motivation from. Any body can change to be the person they AUT to be. It amazes me how many people don’t try this and feel ashamed. I am glad your client empowered himself to feel better about himself by working hard to do things he loves and is motivated to be who he is. I hope more of your clients improve and motivate themselves to be the best they can be. Life impacts us in mysterious ways and we can do incredible things we never thought before we can do.
Thank you for all your support and watching This Emotional Life!!
Best,
J
Mailbag from Tamesha:
I just saw your story on the Georgia Public Broadcasting channel. My son
has Aspergers and was diagnosed at age 5. He is now age 14 and he is very
lonely. He has no friends. He will be going to High School in the fall and I
wanted to know if there is any advice you can give him about making friends,
or about life in general. I also wanted to know how to contact the doctor’s
that you work with that were also featured on the show. It seems to me that
you have made great progress with the doctors and your family. Your story
really touched me deeply and you are an inspiration to me. I pray that my
son will be able to be as productive as you. Thank you for your time.
Dear Tamesha,
My one phrase of advice to you and your son is to be yourself and to be who you AUT to be. This may seem awkward at first read, but if you know your own strengths you can do anything. We all have weaknesses and can’t do certain things. Society structures our world so that every one has a task(s) at hand to contribute in the world. It can be small or it can be very big. We just have to motivate ourselves to work hard to contribute. Some people only want their children to grow up to be like every one else’s success. It’s important to look in your own backyard to see the strengths your son has. Keep the faith and remember to ignite the flames to keep moving forward. Your son needs to push himself to meet his peers and see who he can connect with. Meeting with peers is a trial and error game where we don’t know who we will like and who we won’t like. He should probably meet peers who are interested in what he likes to do because these peers will probably become his good buddies. Its important not to become friends with just any one and not sell yourself short. Live your life, live it well, and always move forward to see what good things are ahead of you and your son. He will blossom like any body else does, he just needs motivation. Listen to me, sometimes your son may need to be pushed to be with like minded peers to grow. No matter what, he is special and will succeed. You can go to the This Emotional Life website to contact the doctors you need to contact like Dr. Richard Perry.
Yours truly,
J
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posting more soon,
OUT, J