My Life As A Prisoner At Dan Emmett
                         by Mary Kay Cline
 *the picture that accompanied the title page was of prison bars.
   I will include misspelled words.

 I received a letter in the mail from Mary Kay's school.
Dated 5-22-99.  She is a 12 year old girl who was diagnosed with
Asperger's when she was 5.
 The post it note attached read:

      Mrs. Cline,
            Steve Short (principal) found this on the playground.
It is one of the most touching pieces I have ever read by a child.

 Jeanine Davenport(SpecEd Teacher)

I wanted to share the letter Mary Kay had wrote out on the playground.
Title page reads as follows:

 Not all kids are chosen precious but I am the one who is.
 I am always chosen last on the bus,
in gym, and on the playground
 When I eat lunch the kids tell me
to go away and move down.
I get called stupid and ugly, and retard.
 When I go on the swings people move away.
When I got glasses billy and some mean kid
called me for eyes.

One day I was on the swing I was sad and hurt
because of how people were treating me.
A kid just call me a cry baby and went boo hoo hoo.
I was embittered and broken hearted.
I want to share my feeling with you
when you're mean to me it hurts my feelings
and breaks my heart.
 I can not stand people calling me names
and laughing at me.
All people are the same and they alway will be.
I have a song for you later in the story.
I always get pushed out of line and told to shut up.
I hurt and I want them to know that
I was in jym one time when Tyler told me
to get of his team.
I felt like crying but I did not insted
I cryed inside my heart.
I wish kids would be nice to me like my mom and dad.

Today I was teased by boys.
I just felt lonely not having any one to sit by.

Here is my song.

 I am a little girl with glasses the one they call a geek
a little girl who never smile because
I have braces on my teeth.
 I know how it feels to cry my self to sleep.
 I'm that kid on every play ground who is always chosing last
a little girl trying to overcome my past.
You don't have to be my friend is that to much to ask?
Don't laugh at me don't call me names
don't get your pleasure from my pain
in god's eyes were all the same.
Some day will all  have perfect wings
don't laugh at me.
I am a cripple on the corner you pass me
on the streets wouldn't
 

That is the end the recess bell must have rang.
The song is a country song by Mark Wills.
She had changed a few lines of the song to fit her.
When I finished reading this I was in tears.
I can only imagine what it is like for a child with AS
to try to fit into "our world".