The Autism News | English


“What year did `Taxi Driver’ come out?” Dan Comeau asks his son, Teagen.

Teagen, 13, has never seen it.

He pauses for a minute, but then says, “1979.”

Teagen has memorized an encyclopedia’s worth of trivia about films. It’s one of the classic characteristics of Asperger’s syndrome, a developmental disorder on the autism spectrum. He and his twin brother, Tyler, of Bridgeport, who entered Bassick High School this August, develop almost obsessive interests in different subjects. But along with their proclivity for learning comes difficulties with social relationships and handling anxiety.

This has made them targets for bullies.

The twins have been harassed on the school bus and picked on and teased for their anxious behaviors throughout their lives. But unlike other students who can more easily verbalize their experience and seek help, the twins — and others with Asperger’s syndrome — have difficulty communicating the scope of their troubles to adults and family members, making it even more difficult for them to resolve problems with bullies.

Children with Asperger’s tend to be bullied once or twice a week, according to a fact sheet by Nelle Frances, an author who writes children’s books about the syndrome.

“Very often (students with Asperger’s) find they’re a little bit isolated from other students,” said Dania Jekel, executive director of the Asperger’s Association of New England. “They have trouble reading people’s facial expressions. They’re a little more vulnerable because developmentally, they’re a little younger and more naïve.”

It’s taken years for the twins to discuss the details of being bullied, but one recent day they opened up.

Tyler does most of the talking for the twins, and Teagen interjects every now and then with his own aside. While Tyler sits on a love seat rattling off facts about the spectrum of autism disorders, Teagen fidgets in his seat and frequently gets up and paces up and down the hallway and back, which could mean he’s “stimming,” which is a repetitive motion people with Asperger’s sometimes reflexively do when they are anxious or deep in thought.

Tyler says he gets anxious when people are yelling at him — his definition of yelling being different than others his age. Teagen, meanwhile, gets anxious when he hears swearing or hears someone describing something disturbing, and he’ll respond with like a low squeak. These are the kinds of behaviors other kids find amusing or odd, and they purposefully try to trigger him, said his dad.

The twins have had multiple bullies over the years, Tyler said. The boys, who grew up in Mansfield, said their first bully was another boy who rode their bus when they were in the fourth grade.

“He used to pick on a lot of kids, but he really liked to pick on us because we didn’t react,” Tyler said.

Tyler and Teagen are slow to make decisions, so they would sometimes linger in the aisle, deciding where to sit. The bully would come down the aisle and slam the twins into the side of the bus.

“He made Teagen anxious,” Tyler said. “Teagen would start making noises and he would pick on him.”

Once Tyler tried to make the bully stop teasing his brother, and the bully took Tyler’s fingers and bent them backwards. Another time, Tyler leaned down to get his backpack and the bully kicked him in the face. Their parents have always told them to tell an adult if someone was being mean to them, but this is difficult for them because of their Asperger’s. The day the bully kicked Tyler in the face, he went to the only adult on the bus, the bus driver, but was unable to form words. The bus driver told him she was going to write him up for crying.

Conveying the seriousness of the bullying incidents to their parents was also difficult. Tyler and Teagen don’t always pick up on inflections and answer questions literally.

NewsTimes

Please share your reaction! Give your opinion by filling out the form below.

Share this news with friends, family, or colleagues by clicking on the shortcuts below: