Asperger's Syndrome Poem by Justin Reamer

Asperger's Syndrome

Rating: 4.8


My disability
Is a very
Real thing,
My dear friend,
And I must say
That it is rather
Hard living the way
I do,
For I cannot really
Tell what people want
Sometimes,
If I am not on
My medication.

Yes, if you want to
Know,
I have ADD,
Tourette's Syndrome,
And Asperger's Syndrome,
But none of them is far worse,
Than that of Asperger's Syndrome,
That form of autism that I have,
That is not low IQ,
But is much like Savant Syndrome,
Which makes me very smart,
But I must say,
It is hard
To be who I am today.

It all began with a head injury,
When I fell from a merry-go-round,
In 1994,
When I broke my skull,
And had surgery on me,
And had a metal cap placed
In my skull.

I had damage to my frontal lobe,
My cerebellum,
And my cerebral cortex;
I had bad balance,
And could not walk,
Until I was age two.

When I started school,
I had a problem,
For I had a learning disability,
For I was diagnosed
With ADD,
Tourette's
And Asperger's Syndrome,
Which made it hard for me to learn.

ADD took my attention away,
So I could not focus on
The teacher when she talked,
And Tourette's was fidgeting,
Sound making,
And seizure-like,
Whenever I was too stressed out.

The worst was Asperger's Syndrome,
Which is the one I carry,
It is my form of autism,
Which makes it hard for me to learn.

Asperger's Syndrome limits me,
For I cannot do certain things
That others can,
And I must say that it is hard,
Having a fool like me.

I could not communicate well to people,
For it gave me Selective Mutism,
For I could not talk to people
That I did not know,
And I was extremely shy.

I could not understand
Social situations,
So if someone was angry at me,
I would not be able to understand,
Unless he or she
Started yelling at me.

I could not understand
Or even comprehend my environment,
For if something changed around me,
I would not realise it
Unless someone told me.

I could not understand
The things that people said
To me,
For I was rather slow,
With the information I picked up.

I did not have vicarious learning,
For I could not tie my shoes,
And I could not understand
How to throw a baseball
Or how to shoot a
Basketball through
A lay-up
The right way.

Sports were a challenge for me,
For I had no hand-eye
Coordination,
And the gym teacher would yell at me,
For I threw the ball way far off.

And learning was a challenge,
For I could not comprehend reading,
It was almost as if I had
Dyslexia,
Instead of autism in general.

And, yes, I was challenged,
And I made it through,
For I am going onto college,
After graduating high school,
With a 3.75 GPA.

I am no prodigy,
But I am doing a lot better,
With being on medication,
Helps me quite a lot.

I cannot wait for college,
For it will be great,
And my disability is under control,
Better than it was before.

I am sorry if I hurt anyone,
For I do not mean to do so,
And I hope you are fine,
Even with my disability.

My disability makes me unique,
And that is always true,
I know I will be great,
And so will you.

POET'S NOTES ABOUT THE POEM
Everything in this poem is true. If you want to know about it, you can read my explanation in 'Autism.' It is actually quite something that I made it this far. Yet, I did, and I am happy. Feel free to comment or vote.
COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Dawn Ferrett 09 August 2012

It was very brave of you to write this, James. Well done for making it through your disabilities! I can't imagine what you have had to endure to have got so far. Good luck with college, and please keep writing! You truly are unique! Bless you! ! ! Dawn xxx

0 0 Reply
Bri Edwards 09 February 2023

I'll rate this four stars WITHOUT EVEN READING IT. : ) BRI

0 1 Reply
Bri Edwards 09 February 2023

I just read and commented on Justin's The Introvert. I have not read the above poem, but I may come back someday and do so. I had a young stepson who had/has Asperger's; his name is Justin also. bri : )

0 0 Reply
Bri Edwards 09 February 2023

(2021) 'ustin Reamer is a writer from Michigan. He has published several poems with several feuilletons and is working on a novel. He currently attends Eastern Michigan University for his M.A. in Creative Writing.'

0 0 Reply
Walterrean Salley 15 November 2016

Asperger's Syndrome - Poem by Justin Reamer. Very heartwarming story. Justin, you're a champ for the challenges you’ve overcome. I'm wishing you continued victories.

0 0 Reply
Raymond Farrell 25 June 2015

I appreciate you sharing this Justin, it is brave of you, I can relate to what you are saying because my son too has all the same problems you have. I wish you all the best.

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Justin Reamer

Justin Reamer

Holland, Michigan
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