Dear my niece and nephews,

You may all, at various points, notice differences in the behaviours of others in places like school and not understand why. This particular blog post is a letter to you to make you aware of a medical condition which causes differences in such behaviours. The differences may be linked to the way one may interact with others and the world in general.  You might even have noticed them in me.

To make matters simple for you here I won’t go into the details of all the hows and whys.

Some examples of the ways a child may behave are mentioned below. They may:

• have great difficulty in social situations, find it difficult to fit in with others and make friends;
• have difficulty with language and understanding, and take longer to do and understand things;
• not pay attention in class or be tuned into a particular task such as following a class story;
• be very gifted at certain things that others may find very hard to do;
• be very knowledgeable about particular subjects and obsessed with certain things;
• not talk very much, if at all;
• be easily frightened and annoyed by certain things like sudden loud noises.

One important thing I’d like to point out to you here is that these behaviours linked with the medical condition are not a result of naughtiness, rudeness, laziness, lack of ability or anything like that. The points written about are linked to some of my personal experiences. 

Having said all that, children and people with this medical condition can, and do contribute positively to life, especially using their special talents like music. With the right support, patience and understanding, they can do well. 

More information about this medical condition can be found elsewhere on this website. You can ask your mums and dads, or indeed me for some help if you ever feel you need it.

In the meantime, take care. I hope this helps you to make a difference to others’ lives. 

Your uncle Stephen