44 / 102
- 42 -
He did his classwork quite well. He later said that
the sixth grade was easy for him, but the seventh and
eighth grades were hard. Having several teachers per
day created more change in his daily routine which
required flexibility. It took most of the two years for
him to adapt. This was a helpful prelude for his high
school years and further education. The difficulty
with class changes and multiple teachers was not
reflected in his grades; as he continued to perform at
“A” level in all subjects.
Changes were developing in Keaton during these years
which he could not always understand or handle.
Which one of us as a teenager did? He would like
and dislike certain students at the same time. This
upset him. All the while he was only interacting with
the students in his imagination. Though he had a full
time aide, he was sent to the principal’s office several
times. His need to control his anger was evident. At
what the anger was directed was hard to determine
by Keaton or the staff. He sometimes would walk in
the halls; other times he visited the school counselor.
He was prone to keep his feelings of frustration and
being “different” to himself; only later did he verbalize
some of his fears. He appeared aware of the differences
caused by his autism yet did not understand them. He
wanted friends, but did not share the interests of the
other students. He feared having the students know
he was autistic. In the cafeteria he made friends with
the workers rather than the students. We hurt to see
his sadness and confusion.
He began piano lessons during these years. We had
given his family our piano since all our children