Q is for Quirky

Autism Diva had a post up the other day that struck a cord with me. It was on this abstract that takes a look at the traits and characteristics of parents with children on the autism spectrum. Basically the researcher found that those of us with children on the spectrum have more austistic traits than the control group. So I just made a little mental list of the things I did as a child that a) drove my Mother nuts and b) falls into the types of behavior that is often described when talking about kiddos on the spectrum:

As a child I:
-Was a toe-walker (to the point my Mother took me to the Doctor)
-Couldn't touch newspaper. Could.Not.Touch.It. Made me physically ill.
-Hated lasagna because I couldn't gag the texture of the noodles
-Early talker...lots of words
-Early reader...reading (simple) books cover to cover by 3 1/2
-Was a rocker (from side to side)
-Liked lists and schedules...thrown off by change

As an adult I:
-LOVE lists and schedules...thrown way off by change
-Have sensory issues (don't even come near my belly button...I'll poke your eye out!)
-Must rock back and forth while standing
-Must rub both feet together to fall asleep

Obviously, these are just quirks. But they are quirks I also see in Squish (except for the verbal component...he's not an early talker but kicks ass with his PECS book). I've always thought we're all autistic in some degree. Or that autism is certain traits magnified. Bottom line, we're all quirky.