At age three Jacob could sing the alphabet backwards without hesitation. Go ahead and try it, I'll give you a minute. Not easy is it? Also at age three he taught himself to count by 2's, 5's and 10's. On his own. Just one day he told them to me. At age three most kids are just learning to count to 5 or 10. Mine was counting well past that way before age three.
I remember when Jacob was four and we were up at our church nursery. One of the nursery teachers was going to share the story of Jonah and the Whale. The book referred to the whale as a big fish. I knew the second she said it, that it would not set well with Jacob. While the other kids quietly ate their goldfish crackers listening to the story, Jacob raised his hand to correct the teacher. "Actually a whale is not a big fish, but a mammal," he tells her. Yep, that's my boy!
Musically Jacob has many talents as well. At an early age he was able to clap out rythmes to songs. At the time I thought all kids could do that. He taught himself to play simple songs like "Row, row, row your boat" and "Twinkle, twinkle little star" on his keyboard by ear. But the coolest thing he does is similar to beat boxing. When Jacob sings, it's not just a simple song. He makes different noises with his mouth while clapping in a unique way to get different sounds. It's hard to describe. We are so used to him doing it we don't even notice any longer when we are out and he is singing. So many times we have had people make comments that they have never heard anything like it. It is pretty remarkable! Maybe all the years of playing American Idol at our house will pay off someday.
At age six Jacob does very well in school. Reading, math, and spelling come easy for my son. The one thing I have learned is that it is typical for kids with Aspergers to have a very slow work pace when it comes to school. So it may appear that he does not know the work or is struggling, when it has more to do with motor skills and processing information. Poor handwriting and organizational skills along with perfectionist tendencies make for a slower school work pace.
Ask my son about any animal and he can tell you fact after fact. Ask him about his favorite baseball team and he can share with you stats on each player. Every birthday card he makes for family and friends is loaded with math word problems for the birthday person to solve. He's always asking questions and wanting to learn. But what I wouldn't give to lay in bed and read a fiction story with my son sharing with him some of my favorite stories I got lost in as a child, yet each night is full of animal fact books, night after night after night.
Although academically Jacob does well, but there are many things he struggles with. Things that kids his age have been doing by themselves for years. Most of his struggles are with his fine motor skills. Scissors and writing are still a challenge. Dressing is a constant struggle for Jacob. Every morning he wants help with his socks because he can't get them "just right". He can't wear pants with buttons, snaps, or zips because he can't maneuver them while they are on his body. Finally this year he learned to zip his coat. I hated watching him at recess last year with his coat hanging wide open in the middle of winter. Shoelaces haven't even been addressed yet. Thankfully velcro and slip on shoes are much more stylish than in years past.
Legos, blocks, and complex puzzles are not even attempted. Just too hard for him. Every once in a while he will try, but then gets discouraged. I'm sure he sees his peers doing these things, and knows he should be able to as well. Jacob doesn't own a bike. Not for our lack of trying. He's had one before, but it was not easy. Now they no longer make bikes in his size with training wheels. Pouring drinks, cutting with a knife, or spreading with a knife are again impossible tasks for him. Juice box straws? Not without help. Candy wrappers? It doesn't matter how badly he wants it, he will struggle.
Another thing I have learned is that people with Aspergers have a hard time generalizing. If I tell Jacob it is not ok to hit a friend at schoool, he doesn't make the connection that it isn't ok to hit someone at the mall, or the playground, etc. Once I learned this about my son, it made perfect sense. All those times when I wondered why we had to keep going over the same rules regarding behavior is clear. How many times did I tell him last year not to kiss girls at recess only to have him kiss one at lunch? He thought the "rule" only applied to recess.
It has been speculated that many famous highly intelligent people had Aspergers. There is really no way to know for sure, but this list includes, Albert Einstein, Beethoven, Thomas Jefferson, and Isaac Newton to name a few. It has also been said that Al Gore, Bill Gates, and Mark Zuckerberg creator of Facebook have it as well. If that is the case, Jacob is amongst some great company!
I know Jacob's future holds something big for him. Is he gifted? In more ways than I will probably ever know. But the biggest gift is Jacob himself.
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