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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

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