Personal Accounts (Page 2)

From Debbie (continued).

I was so happy when four years later, my dad decided to move yet again. But that was short-lived because the kids at the new school were just as bad if not worse. I had been at a Catholic school where I had the same classmates for the four years I lived in that town, but moved to a public school where there were different students in every class (Jr. HS).

So I had to get used to that as well as new people. I often had difficulty with change and when you don't know you have a problem, it is even worse. I still had to put up with teasing all through high school. I did transfer schools in the middle of my junior year and again before I started my senior year in high school. The change was nice, but it didn't prevent the teasing.

College was a lot better. I was accepted for what I could do and not for what I couldn't do. I still didn't fit in with everyone, but I did a lot better than when I was in high school. I always had trouble with “heavy reading” classes which caused me to almost flunk out of college (I didn't have good enough grades for the major I had chosen).

I went to work for a couple of years then went back and forth between California and Alaska for many years trying to figure out what I wanted to do when I grew up. I went back to college 15 years later and completed a bachelor's degree. I found out a quarter before I graduated that I had TS and ADHD.

Several years later (2003) I found out I also have Asperger Syndrome. It explains to me a lot about why I am the way I am. To this day, my brother says I shouldn't accept these “labels” because they don't really exist. I avoid talking to him about this subject because it would just cause problems. I was able to complete a master's degree online and am now teaching English in China. People here accept me as I am and don't try to change me in any way.

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