Pre-Asperger’s – five year old Alexander

When Alexander was five years old, he started to enjoy Wallace and Gromit, ate very selective foods, drank water and certain drinks, loved to play computer and video games, enjoyed to draw, talked about robots and still preferred to play alone.
I thought he was an independent, sweet boy who enjoyed quiet activities like drawing.

On the first day in kindergarten, we told the teacher he was able to read well and we had no worries. We hoped he will enjoy kindergarten. Then the teacher tested him and he skipped kindergarten. I panicked and worried his lack of attention would be the cause of more problems. The teacher took him and thought he was at the right level - 1st grade.

Alexander managed in his own way to finish 1st grade. Alexander was in advanced reading small group and did not have any problems, at least academically. As one would expect for a five or six year-old boy, there were some minor behavioral problems.

We never were terribly worried. Alexander still could not tie his shoes, so we bought him no-lace shoes. Alexander liked to jump around, like most of boys. Alexander liked to play games, and like most boys his age Alexander liked to draw, hide under furniture, build “forts”, liked to play alone, liked to only eat selective food, preferred to go home before it got dark outside….all small behaviors like most boys, we figured, and so we never worried.