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Kids and Stress: My Story

© Brandon M.

Hi! My name is Brandon. I am nine years old. I have Asperger's Syndrome. It is a brain disorder that's on the high end of the Autism spectrum. That means I am very smart and do good in school, but I have problems with social issues.

Lots of things cause stress in my life. Asperger's makes it hard from me to deal with my emotions. Things overwhelm me easily. I have trouble controlling these feelings.

Noise overwhelms me. If the classroom is noisy, I have a lot of problems. I like music, but only for a while. After 15 minutes, music becomes noise to me. Music class is hard for me.

The feel of different clothing can cause stress for me. This is not as bad for me as it is for kids who have severe cases of Asperger's. Mine is a mild case. I don't know how those other kids cope.

The textures of some foods cause stress for me. They make me feel like I have sand or wood in my mouth. One of these foods is broccoli.

I can't take hot weather or being too warm. This causes me to be overwhelmed. If my hair is too long, it makes me too hot and that drives me crazy. My problem is that I don't communicate my feelings well. Sometimes I don't know what causes me to feel so overwhelmed.

I have trouble making friends. Kids think I'm weird. They call me names, which hurts my feelings. When this happens, I become overwhelmed and react badly. I am learning to control my emotions, but it is hard work. I find it easier this year to cope than I did last year. They tell me that every year it will get easier.

School is another thing that causes me a lot of stress. I find school work that is at my grade level boring. It is hard to sit in class everyday when I'm bored. My teacher has made a deal with me. If I do my work without problems, she gives me something from the "hot list." The "hot list" is work that is far above my grade level. This is the work I like to do.

Sometimes being around people is very stressful. This includes other kids and my family. When this happens, I like to be alone. I often go to my room to calm down from stress.

Mom and Grandma encourage me to tell them when I need to be alone. I've found this works very well. Then they know that I'm stressed and give me time to calm down.

The copyright of the article Kids and Stress: My Story in Canada for Kids is owned by Mary M. Alward. Permission to republish Kids and Stress: My Story in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.