I can't comment on ADHD, but we have Aspergers in our family. I'm not sure if I ever found the right way to mention it, but a lot of times when you talked about Eli on here, some of his quirks did remind me of my Aspergers nephews. If it's any consolation at all, some things have been harder for them than other kids, but on the other things, their specific traits have given them an advantage at school.... The eldest, who is on the verge of leaving school, has done EXCELLENTLY at his work experience placements, he has basically been top of the class and got some excellent references. His parents reckon a lot of it is down to his Aspergers traits.
So it's not all bad news.... it's not like an illness, or something entirely negative; it's just that the brain is "wired" differently to "neuro-typicals" (that's non-aspergers people). There are pros and cons to it, and in the same way there are pros and cons to the way NT brains are wired too. Plus, I have heard recently that Aspergers is much, much more common than people realise, but is largely undiagnosed. So the Aspergers part of it is something that won't set him apart too much as he gets older, because it's something he shares with many other people. The main thing that is different is that he has been diagnosed ad has an excellent support network to help him where he might otherwise have been at a bit of a disadvantage.
"Give a man a fire and he is warm for a day, but set fire to him and he is warm for the rest of his life." - Pratchett, "Jingo"
