DR. WALLACE: I’m about to enter high school in a few weeks and I’m so excited! My brother is going to be a junior at the same high school and he’s not the least bit excited. In fact, my brother just devastated me by calling me “kind of chubby for a freshman girl.”
I don’t think I’m fat at all, but maybe I am. I am 5 feet, 4 inches tall and I weigh 122 pounds. Both my mother and my aunt (my mom’s sister) are 5 feet, 8 inches or taller, so maybe I can still grow taller and leaner. Did my brother just say this to hurt my feelings or am I really heavy for my age and height? What can I do about it anyway? I was really pumped up to finally become a high school student, but now my brother has me worried a bit and my ego feels a bit fragile due to his comments. — Fragile future freshman, via email
FRAGILE FUTURE FRESHMAN: Your brother needs to apologize to you for calling you chubby. You are not overweight at all, and in fact you are within the zone of being at a healthy weight for your height.
I suggest you go back to your brother, smile and tell him that it’s not nice to tease a younger sibling with rude comments. Tell him that as a family, you need to stick together and be supportive of each other. Mention that if you hear any gossip about him at your high school, you will automatically have his back and that you hope he has yours, too.
IS IT POSSIBLE I HAVE MILD AUTISM?
DR. WALLACE: I just turned 12 years old and I am struggling with sensory overload recently. I’ve been to the doctor and had many tests done, all of which to date indicate that nothing significant is wrong with me! I don’t get it.
I am extremely sensitive to loud sounds — even if it’s music that I like — and certain foods such as chicken cause me to quickly become nauseated. I even find it difficult communicating without saying a sentence numerous times because it doesn’t make sense to me the first few times I say it out loud. One of my favorite cousins who is my same age said that I could be mildly autistic. I’m not sure if my parents had me tested for autism at any point yet in my life. Could this be something I should have done as a further test just in case? — Worried about my characteristics, via email
WORRIED ABOUT MY CHARACTERISTICS: The situations you are describing could potentially be something called high-functioning autism. Based upon your letter, I’d agree that your parents should take you to a doctor who specializes in this field to get diagnosed.
He or she can listen carefully to your experiences and ask you questions that may reveal any tendencies that fit autism. There of course may also be many other potential reasons you are experiencing the feelings and reactions you’ve described. A professional should be consulted in both cases.
If it turns out that you need special assistance, a specialist will quickly be able to direct you toward the help you need with additional learning and coping skills as you mature.
Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at [email protected] To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
