The following is a narrative composed by David's parents with the intent of interpreting what they believe he would say if he could do so himself: This was written in April of 2001, during a period of intense strife and difficulty regarding David's school program.

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Hello. My name Is David. I will be 5 in April. I have something called Autism. I do not know what that is. I know I feel weird a lot, and I want to do things other boys don't. As you can see from the bruise on my head, I also like to hurt myself. I did that banging my head on the floor at school. I did not want to do their stupid puzzle that I do not even like. They make me do it all the time.Ouch

My Mommy and Daddy love me very much, and they would like me to stop hurting myself and start talking and going to the bathroom like a regular boy. But I can't. No one will show me how. Sometimes it takes a lot of effort and patience to show me things since I do not think and understand things like a regular boy. I have a hard time sleeping, so my Mommy does not get to sleep much. She is very tired all the time. So it is a struggle for her to just keep me alive every day since I am not afraid of anything. I do not understand danger, and do not know how to avoid it. I like to run away, and go to the McDonald's and take all the food that is sitting on the tables.

My Daddy comes to see me on the weekends, so Mommy can get some rest, but he has to work and take care of my sick grandma (she has MS and is in a wheelchair), so he cannot come and be with me all the time. My Mommy and Daddy are very sad all the time.

They are always talking about me, but I do not understand much of it. I hear a lot of stuff about "speech" and "OT" and "aides," and the word "services" comes up a lot. I just want to play on my computer and ride in the car. I want to make them happy but it is hard for me since I always have to be moving so I do not feel bad. I do not like the way my clothes feel and my head hurts all the time. That is why I bang it on stuff. It makes it feel better when I am frustrated and scared and angry. It is the best way I have to deal with all this stuff I do not understand. I hurt a lot, too. Noises bother me, so do the lights in the store, and my skin feels weird. Sometimes I bite myself so I can forget about all the stuff that bothers me. Here is a picture my Mommy took of me biting my knee.

I was mad cause my water balloon broke. Or maybe the water in the tub was too cold. I do not remember. I bite myself a lot. Here are some more pictures of where I bit myself (click images to see them better).