[oldE]

Our granddaughter is on the spectrum. She has lived with us since the age of 9 months. Hardly noticeable until about 5 years ago. In the last year, puberty has hit and communication has become an issue. She has a dozen things on the go, with few brought to the finish line. She is a pack rat, carrying so much stuff around in her backpack it amazes me. Good sense of humor and has a few good friends but doesn't understand the ebb and flow of pre-teen relationships.
My wife taught elementary and middle school for over 3 decades, so she has a better handle on things than I, but at times she finds things very stressful.
Some professionals refer to this as neurologicaly divergent. My son says he thinks of his niece and others like her as neurologicaly spicy.
Hang in there.