My boy

So. The continuing saga of Jonathan, manchild with Asperger's Syndrome, well, it continues. Being the mom of a 20 year old with somewhat unusual needs requires a constant rejiggering (that's the professional parenting term) of expectations on both of our parts. I expect him to take on new responsibilities. And he expects me to stop that immediately, as it rocks his boat.

I persist. He presents perfectly logical reasons why he should NOT have to entertain such a heavy life load. For example, this year I've insisted that Jon call the doctor's office each month in a timely fashion to get a refill on his prescriptions (a controlled substance that must be filled monthly with a paper scrip). This requires

1. that he notice he is getting low on meds

2. that he notice he is getting low on meds without actually being out of them

3. that he notice he is getting low on meds without actually being out of them on a weekday
so that the doctor's office is available to write the prescription

4. that he notice he is getting low on meds without actually being out of them on a weekday so that the doctor's office is available to write the prescription and actually call the doctor's office.

5. that he notice he is getting low on meds without actually being out of them on a weekday so that the doctor's office is available to write the prescription and actually call the doctor's office then commandeer a ride from a driving relative to pick up said prescription.

Do you realize that most of our life tasks can be summed up in such an onerous fashion, that life inevitable breaks down into many little pieces, the leaving out of any of which will cause the wreck and ruin of the whole? OK. Perhaps wreck and ruin is too strong. How about makes life more difficult?

Jon has managed this new responsibility with success. He has also not noticed he was out of meds until he was out of meds, run out of meds on a Friday afternoon, called for a prescription then forgotten to pick it up before the weekend, and just plain forgotten to pick the prescription up, period.

The road to successful assumption of responsibility is littered with failure. Sometimes he learns from the failure, sometimes not. The first two years of college have abundantly demonstrated this maxim. The latest interesting incident involves his admission and now lack thereof, to the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC).

Do you remember how you had to tell your college or university of choice that you accepted their acceptance of you? At UIC, it's called filing the Intent to Enroll form. It was Jonathan's responsiblity. I bugged him but did not peer over his shoulder. At some point, he said he filed it. Fast forward a few months. Somehow, he did not file it and is now no longer extended admission.

Argh for everyone. Jon is no different than the rest of us, in that when he fails he believes he is a failure. It's awfully hard to view failure, mistakes, pain as steps to success. Together, though, we called UIC admissions and ask for info. There is an ever so slight chance that he may be readmitted. He has had to petition for same, with an explanation as to why he didn't file the form.

This was Jonathan's responsibility. Writing it was a way for him to redeem the mistake, even if the petition is not granted. His petition follows:

"I am petitioning to have my (late) Intent to Enroll form accepted despite the June 1st deadline. I apologize profusely for my blunder; it is my belief that I somehow became confused in the process of setting up my UIC Connect account, and forgot to furnish the necessary form. Slip-ups of this sort are, unfortunately, a roughly annual occurrence for me; I suffer from a neurological condition known as Asperger's Syndrome.

Possibly due to prenatal mercury exposure, my brain differs slightly from that of most people; my intellect and capacity for information storage is vastly increased, but I have trouble with cognitive control (also known as "executive functions") and interpersonal relations. In other words, if I were a mad scientist, I could build a doomsday device that harnessed the principles of quantum entanglement to teleport entire cities into space, but odds are I'd leave the plutonium in my other coat and alienate the minions by bursting into evil laughter at the least appropriate times.

It is my contention that this disorder is both the cause of my current problems and an asset that will prove invaluable to me as an aspiring academic once I have overcome the negative aspects thereof, and I believe that all involved would benefit greatly by allowing me to enroll here. Thank you for your consideration."

Vintage Jonathan. Exaggeration, honesty, humor, and the facts, all rolled up in his inimitable writing style. In spite of his "neurological condition", it seems like he might be a good catch. :-) Hope UIC agrees.

Liz