Hello, everyone! This is just an idea that popped into my mind, and I thought hey, that's a unique idea and it brings awareness to this type of autism. Why not write a story on it? I hope you enjoy it!
This is based off of what I've noticed in my school on how the autistic and special needs kids are treated, not what happens in every school. Still, this treatment needs to stop.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
They found out through one of Leo's old schools.
It was a small school in Nebraska, but this school possessed an ancient medallion that gave the wearer the power of a god; it'd been hidden on the grounds over a century ago. It'd been hidden under the floorboards of what was then an old warehouse and was now, a school.
The seven had been sent to retrieve it, and they found it within ten minutes. They thought it would be easy to blend in; all classes were in session, so no one was around to catch them. And any passing staff members thought them to be students on an errand for a teacher or a club or student council.
Except for one.
He was a tall guy, and one of the younger staff members they'd seen (maybe late twenties, early thirties). With his short cropped brown hair and relaxed blue eyes, he appeared to be very laid back.
But it was the kids he was with that got their attention.
There were five of them. Three girls, two boys, and some of them looked like any other kid, but others walked with jerked movements; some were making strange facial expressions; one boy was in a wheelchair.
The special needs children.
When the man saw the seven, he froze, his eyes trained on Leo.
"Leo?" He breathed.
"Mr. Shwepy?" Leo gasped (name is pronouced just like it's spelled).
"Wait. You two know each other?" Percy asked, looking between the two.
Mr. Shwepy turned to him. "Leo was one of my students."
"But these are the special needs children," Piper pointed out.
Mr. Shwepy nodded. "Exactly."
"So Leo was put in your class for ADHD; I was never put in a special class for that," Percy said, skeptical.
Mr. Shwepy frowned. "It wasn't for ADHD."
"Then what was it for?" Annabeth questioned.
"It's not for me to tell. Leo has to tell you, and while I strongly recommend it, it's Leo's business," Mr. Shwepy replied before smiling at Leo. "How are you doing?"
"Good," Leo said. "I'm working on managing it."
"That's great. I hope to see you again someday."
Mr. Shwepy then led the kids off, leaving six with a question and one with a story.
Leo agreed to tell them when they returned to camp, and the ride back on Festus was spent in silence as everyone wondered what Mr. Shwepy had meant and Leo tried to figure out how he was going to tell the seven.
Upon arrival to camp, they gave the medallion to Chrion, told him about the surprisingly easy quest (leaving out the part about Mr. Shwepy), and went to Leo's underground room at the Hephaestus cabin.
"Now," Frank said as soon as a sliding door slid shut above their heads to prevent any prying ears from overhearing. "Start talking."
Leo sat on his bed and pursed his lips.
"Ihaveautism," he said.
The seven frowned at him.
"Slowly," Piper ordered, sneaking some charmspeak in.
"I... have... autism."
"What?" Annabeth gasped. Out of all the things she'd been expecting, it hadn't been that.
Leo nodded. "It's called Asperger's Syndrome, a high functioning type of autism."
"But you look normal," Hazel said.
Leo glared at her, and the rest of the seven widened their eyes. Leo had never looked at anyone like before, and especially not Hazel, who was so sweet and kind.
"Not all autistic children are in wheelchairs or look a certain way, Hazel," he hissed. "Didn't you see the special needs children with Mr. Shwepy? Some of them, in your words, looked normal."
Leo said normal like it was the worst word to use to describe any person.
"Look," he said, the glare gone, but the voice just as hard. "I don't want you to treat me differently, all right? The kids at that school either treated me like glass or like I was nothing. I'm still the same Leo I was before you found out; this doesn't change anything. All right?"
The seven nodded, not knowing what else to say.
"Now, I need to get caught up on my inventions. See you guys later," Leo said. The smile was back in place as if the previous conversation had never happened.
LATER THAT NIGHT... (this is basically just Annabeth being her analyzing self)
Annabeth hated not knowing; this was a known fact, one you could tell just by looking into her stormy gray eyes.
And that's why she found herself on Daedulous's laptop, typing Asperger's Syndrome into the search bar.
Asperger's Syndrome: A developmental disorder affecting a person's ability to effectively socialize and communicate.
Annabeth frowned. But Leo was so sociable! He must've been misdiagnosed.
Symptoms:
Behavioral: aggression
Leo wasn't typically hostile, but when he was aggressive, he was downright scary.
compulsive behavior
That one was a definite. Leo did almost everything the same; ate at the same time, built at the same time, did everything the same way he had the day before and the day before that. It was like Leo had to do the things he did, had to act the way he did, and if anyone got in the way of that, the aggression came out.
fidgeting
Definitely, although that might also be his parentage or ADHD. Maybe that's why his fidgeting was so bad; the urge to fidget came from three different places.
impulsivity
Definitely. Leo was one of the most impulsive of the seven, next to Percy, who got his impulsive behavior from his dad.
repetitive movements
Yes. Leo tapped his fingers in the same order multiple times before switching up the pattern. That could be considered a repetitive movement.
social isolation
He'd isolated himself during the building of the Argo II, but Annabeth just thought he was caught up in working. What if she'd been wrong?
or persistent repetition of words or actions
Not really there, although Leo did sometimes repeat words two or three times, as if he'd forgotten he'd said them. Annabeth just thought his mind had been all over the place and he'd forgotten what thoughts he'd voiced and which ones he hadn't.
Muscular: inability to combine muscle movements, poor coordination, or tic
The first two were correct. When Leo was fighting monsters and his life was on the line, instinct took over and his poor coordination faded, but during training, he was never very coordinated. Annabeth felt bad because she'd laughed at him for it.
Mood: anger, anxiety, or apprehension
Hmm, the moods weren't common, but when they were, they were beyond what they were for others. Leo scared her whenever he experienced one of those three moods because he was usually so happy.
Also common: depression
Annabeth didn't really know about that one. There were signs, but Leo was so happy. Then again, it's hard to know if you're not in that person's head.
intense interest in a limited number of things
Yes. Leo could go on for hours about things others didn't care about, such as machines, math, etc. There weren't that many topics.
learning disability
ADHD and dyslexia.
nightmares
Every demigod had them.
or sensitivity to sound
Annabeth thought about it. One time, the Ares cabin tested a grenade (long story) and when it exploded, even though the site was far away and the sound was fairly distant, Leo covered his ears and flinched, as though the boom had been in the same room as him.
Loud music, bangs, clatters, anything like that triggered an anxious or angry mood for Leo. Maybe that's why he avoided the Mess Hall- because of all the talking and the noise.
The pieces floated around in Annabeth's head, connecting as she read more and more websites about the symptoms and signs of Asperger's.
How had they missed it? Why were they so surprised?
Leo hated the stares the most.
Leo had been diagnosed with Asperger's when he was young, still living with his mom. He'd skipped a grade because of his intelligence, but his social skills were... different.
He was always so awkward and withdrawn; he never knew what to say or do around other kids. He was usually found talking to teachers or his mom. He couldn't read facial expressions and didn't understand irony or sarcasm (he eventually gained understanding of both and was able to use them properly by the time he reached his teenage years).
Leo went through life with Asperger's Syndrome, and no one knew except himself and his mom; even his teachers weren't informed because his mom thought that everyone would treat him differently.
She was right.
Asperger's Syndrome was listed under health for Leo, alongside severe ADHD and minor dyslexia, when Leo went into foster care.
Five of his foster parents (in my story, Leo ran away six times, but he was sent to more than six foster homes and was removed for one reason or another) didn't care; they were abusive and/or neglectful and just wanted him for the money. They didn't even bother to look at his file, except for the few that used it to find more insults for Leo (such as when they discovered he was suspected of killing his mother).
But a few foster homes actually cared about him. One, in particular, stood out. They put him in a class to help him manage his autism (Mr. Shwepy's). Leo met some of his best friends there, and he did learn how to socialize better and read people more. That's why most people could never tell.
Leo wouldn't have ran away if his best friend, Holly Webster, hadn't committed suicide.
But nonetheless, Leo was treated differently by his peers. The minute they found out he had autism, he was either treated like a glass object poised to break or a nothing.
His mother was right about him being treated differently.
The following day, Leo walked down to the Mess Hall (he always went early to escape the crowd), and he sat at their usual table. The rest of the seven were already there, and Leo waited for someone to bring up what happened the day before, the secret that had been revealed…
No one did.
They were too busy laughing at Percy as he tried to stuff a hundred jelly beans up his nose. They didn't send the mechanic any strange glances. They didn't ask any questions. It was just like usual.
A hand tapped him on the shoulder, and Leo turned around to see Annabeth holding a book out to him.
"We won't tell anyone. While we suggest you tell at least your siblings, we will respect your wishes, and no one will hear it from us. Also, I know you've gotten pretty good at managing it, but I got you this," she said, resting the book in his hand.
Teens With Asperger's: Learning To Manage Autism (This is not a real book by the way! I totally made that title up)
"And you're right. You are the same Leo you were before," she added before returning to her seat, and the normal, every day conversations resumed.
Leo wasn't treated any differently than usual… just like he wanted.
Leo smiled, thankful that the others had obeyed his wishes. He really did have great friends.
This story was more about the treatment of kids with autism than the actual autism. Sometimes autistic and special needs kids just want to be treated like everyone else, and we should respect that. We shouldn't treat them differently or stare at them weirdly, and we definitely shouldn't pretend they don't exist. That happened too often in my old school, and I wanted to share this lesson with the world: just because someone has autism or is a 'special needs' kid doesn't mean they're not human just like the rest of us.
Anyway, hope you enjoyed the story!