Cat cooties. Great. I have cat cooties.

Wait- this explains everything.

Then why didn't mom take her own daughter home to care for her? Why did the hospital claim that her immediate family had refused to take her, so that she had no where to go upon release?

A good question: why are her civil rights being violated? How would you like it if someone walked into your home and informed you that you were now under guardianship, you have to go live across town and no one you know is permitted to speak to you? And if you try to speak to them, you are no longer allowed to use a phone? The fact is, no matter what else is occurring, this young lady is basically under arrest and being held as a prisoner, when she has committed no crime. HER RIGHTS ARE BEING VIOLATED.

OR a mother who wants the checks back. She couldn't take care of the girl after she was in an accident, and allowed this other couple to care for her, but now wants her in a group home? Something is fishy.

I have those same gel clings on my front door. I can tell when Joey is anxious, because I come down teh stairs and they are all lined up in little rows, sorted by color.

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! BEen to all sorts of conferences and gift shows with these issues. People are WEIRD!!!!

Having two children who are not neurotypical (but only one autistic), I get to see what a wide variety of children face. What you describe in being taught social skills can hold true for almost all children- they are basically bullied by adults into conforming to certain behavior and reaction. Everyone is taught to "pass" under a certain standard. The more a person deviates from that pattern after being thoroughly bullied into it, the more they are labeled with words that tend to be negative, instead of regarded with respect and understanding. The idea that we being polite- the world of etiquette- does not require total adherence to a "passing" ideal seems to escape people entirely. They lump the two together.

Being in the social world can be very much like the art world Understanding that there are certain expectations in social interaction is one thing. Once you understand what the cues are, what the rules are, then you can expand and break them when you need to, in order to hold to the spirit of why the rules are there. In art, the point is to express ideas and emotions- Picasso was an excellent draftsman before he ventured out into ways he needed to express the ideas and emotions he needed and wanted to express. With social skills, it is important to know the rules, so that you can understand when people tell you they will deviate from them. If you pay attention, you'll find most people have extraordinary things to say and express, and their own way of doing it- which can have a unique power.

But when you've been bullied to do everything one way, all too often, you miss good art.