difficult child 2 carries a Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD)-not otherwise specified diagnosis, but when he was diagnosed, the team told us the only reason he missed an Aspie diagnosis is that he had no obsessions.
In public school (up until 3rd grade) he was "normal" to most people, but a holy terror at home in terms of violent outbursts. He had no frustration tolerance to speak of, was anxious about the most obscure things (too much sunlight, roofs falling in on him) excelled in academics, and got along well with other kids in guided activities.
As an early teenager, he was absolutely confused by social situations. He didn't understand jokes, couldn't tell if someone was picking on him or teasing him about something, and spent the majority of his day playing video games by himself in his room. He still excelled in academics, preferred the company of adults, would never talk to people he didn't know, and loved to draw.
Now, at 17, he's a very sensitive guy. He still struggles with theory of the mind, projecting future outcomes, putting himself in someone else's shoes, etc., but he tries really hard. He wants to do something professionally to help kids like himself. He gets upset when he slips and looses control of his temper (although now it's just verbal stuff.) He's an excessive worrier (scared of driving because he might get mad and hurt someone, scared of living on his own, etc.) He's most comfortable talking to people online rather than face-to-face, but he's making conscious efforts to be more sociable. He loves cars and the idea of rebuilding them (so long as he doesn't have to drive it.) People notice he's kind of quirky, but mostly in a geeky, awkward kind of way. He's very analytical and loves philosophical debates, digging for deeper meaning in things. Accomplishments, even small ones, mean a lot to him. Emotionally and maturity-wise, he's probably closer to a 14 or 15 year old than a 17 year old, but intellectually he's more like a 40-something guy. Think big, kind of clumsy, sweet, and over-sensitive, and you have my difficult child 2.