Jul Dimidius - One of a Kind: AsperGerdi

For all the AsperGerdies and AsperGerries in the world

Bibliografische Informationen der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek verzeichnet diese Publikation in der Deutschen Nationalbibliografie; detaillierte bibliografische Daten sind im Internet ber http://dnb.dnb.de abrufbar.

2015 Jul Dimidius

Illustration: Nikolett Molnr

Herstellung und Verlag:

BoD Books on Demand GmbH, Norderstedt

ISBN: 9783739278384

Hello, my name is Gerdi . I am 8 years old and have Asperger syndrome. This means that I think, hear, and see the world a bit differently from the kids in my class.

Being Asperger autistic is not always easy. I have to live in a world where many things seem amazing, confusing and illogical. Every day I learn something new and I put together the puzzle pieces of our world.

Sometimes I have good days, sometimes I have bad days, but I know a few tricks with which I make my life easier.

I live very close to school and I walk there every day. After breakfast I get ready and at exactly 7:45 I leave for school with Sir Reginald by my side. At 7:55 I am in the classroom. I wink at Sir Reginald and I prepare myself for the first class.

I like going to school but what I dont like are the breaks. The other kids are so loud and wild. Thats why I prefer going to the library instead. Its always so nice and calm there and I can read about my favourite animals. When the lessons are over, Sir Reginald waits for me in front of the school and we go home together.

At school I dont have any friends. The other kids think I am weird because I dont make eye contact with them and I dont play with them. They are too hectic and baffling to me.

Sir Reginald is my best friend. He is a pug , dark black, and 2 years old. Sir Reginald is my only friend and he knows exactly when I dont feel like cuddling or prefer to be left alone. He is my constant companion and an artist like me. Sometimes we paint together. I paint with a brush or with my fingers and he paints with his paws.

When I have nightmares he wakes me up. He is always there when I need him. He makes me laugh when I am sad and he lays down next to me when I am confused or feel lost.

I love colours! When I grow up I will be the best painter in the world. I covered a wall in my room with colour cards. I adore using colours because I can hear them. When I paint or draw I compose music at the same time.

Purple-violet is a sad colour and its sound is deep like a cello. Zinc yellow, on the other hand, is a funny colour that often makes me laugh. It sounds like two pebbles banging against each other. Reseda green and red purple soothe me. Reseda green sounds like a pleasant sigh. Red purple, on the other hand, sounds like the wind whispering in the summer.

I have a big table in my room where I keep my crayons, chalk, tempera, and watercolours. My easel stands next to it. I prefer to paint trees and animals. Everything is alive and every object tells a story to me. Buildings, objects, and animals all have feelings and thoughts that I can hear and feel. My bed is sad when I wake up in the morning and I leave for school. The round flat stone is happy when I dust it off and bring it to the pile of stones under the walnut tree.

Sometimes I paint pictures that entertain me. At such times I burst out laughing and I feel like dancing or jumping around. Sometimes I paint fantastic pictures again and produce wonderful music that almost hurts. The colours, the shapes, and the sounds play so well together that they make me cry, but its not because I am sad.

I like wearing loose clothing made from cotton or linen. I never wear itchy or too tight clothing, or turtlenecks and scarves because I would scratch myself until I bleed. When I wear a blouse or shirt I never button it up to the top.

At home I normally wear pyjamas because they are comfortable and have no buttons. When I paint I borrow my dads t-shirts. They are the most comfortable clothing in the world.

My hearing is very sensitive; I can hear the faintest sounds. It makes me nervous and uncertain when I hear too many people talk at the same time or when I hear different noises at the same time. I always have earplugs with me in case it gets too loud.

In the evenings before going to bed I listen to whale songs on my CD that is accompanied with nice, soothing music. That calms me down and I can sleep well.

In the mornings I wake up to a different CD playing the soft sound of a harp. Earlier I used to have a normal alarm clock to wake me up for school. That sound jolted me from sleep and made me tremble, scream and I could only calm myself down very slowly. Then my mother had the idea of the harp and it worked out very well.

I have a place I call a snail in my room. This is how I named the cozy fort that my parents built for me out of blankets and pillows. This is the place I retreat to when I want to be left alone. Inside it is very soft, cosy and dim. I cuddle up and hide among the pillows.

Sir Reginald is with me most of the time in the cave. We listen to music or read books. In my e-book reader I have tons of stories and most of them are about paintings or animals. When I want to be all by myself Sir Reginald understands it and waits for me patiently outside my shell. I love my pug!

I am very interested in fish and insects. I have a huge fish tank in my room. I can watch the colourful fish swim and play in the water for hours. I have exactly 37 fish in my aquarium. I know each of them personally and have given them names. My favourite is the smallest one - a 2 cm blue lampeye fish called Misty.

On Sundays I often visit the zoo with my parents. I adore animals, especially the insects. I am most interested in the ones that people usually dont find attractive like stick-insects and Eophylliums. These insects are the masters of disguise and they look like tiny branches and leaves.

My favorite insect and motif is the dragonfly, which is often a motif in my paintings. I am amazed by its transparent-metallic wings as it flies concocting fairytales of the moor, flowers and summer. Dragonflies are like me: strange story-tellers.