He may be having fun but I find his antics creepy as all hell. Hubby and I stay clear of him. Something if off kilter with him, IMHO. No normal, self respecting individual acts that way in public. Again.....my opinion.

Yes, his name is Mark. He has AS, highly functional. Spoke with him a number of times. I agree that sometimes his screams catch me off guard. As for the baton, yup, weapon of mass destruction for sure.

Asperger syndrome (AS), also known as Asperger's, is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction and nonverbal communication, along with restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests.

Thank you for your post. Maybe some can understand that Mark has a Disability, that he try’s to enjoy his life the best he can.

But then again some think of you are not the norm, you should not be in public, as some have stated. If Mark scares you, it’s a big square, you have your space he should have his.

Hoping posters will take a little more patience, after all, a Disability may be in your future. Hopefully someone will be kind to you.

Thank you for a thoughtful post. I 100% agree with you.

Thank you for the information about Mark. I just knew there was a dysfunction with him.

Thank you. This is all I wanted to know in my original question.:ohdear::ohdear:

Thank you.
 

Thank you for your post. If your post had been at the beginning it would have ended a lot of curiosity and confusion.

Disabled or not, he can control his screaming and the wild swinging of his arms. He did so while talking to the police.

Just because he may be disabled does not mean he can behave wildly. Had he knocked my wife over that night, believe me, I would not view him as a victim.

He has not knocked anyone over. Just give him space.

I've almost been knocked over by children running around. Would you have treated them the same if they had bumped into your wife?

Me? I laughed it off... I was more concerned about not hurting them...

He is not doing any "wild swinging." It just isn't happening. It's controlled and intentional, and not swinging at all. Tell your wife to pay closer attention to her surroundings next time and she won't have to worry about being knocked over?

Mark pays VERY close attention to his surroundings, that's why he hasn't ever knocked anyone over.

I thought his name was Neil and learned it was Mark yesterday, as I posted. You know how? Here's how: I was coming out from behind one parking lot after picking up a take-out order, and heading to the other parking lot where I could cut through to the golf cart bridge. I saw him turning on his way to the square and immediately recognized him. I called out "Is your name Neil?" He said "What's your name?" I told him. He said "My name is Mark." He repeated my name, with an exaggerated Spanish accent, and then asked me in perfect Spanish if my name was Spanish, and if I spoke Spanish. I told him no, but I do speak "Spanglish" (which is a mix of English and Spanish, somewhat like Yiddish is a mix of Hebrew, German, and a few Slavic dialects).

He asked which way I was going. I told him, and he came over and said he'd enjoy getting a ride just down the block. I obliged, and he hopped into my golf cart. He told me how brave I was for allowing him into the cart. I told him no - I'm not brave, I recognized him, I knew he was "just another person" and nothing I needed to be brave about, and it was not a big deal to let him occupy an empty seat in my golf cart for a half-block of travel in the direction I was heading anyway.

He thanked me, I stopped the cart, and let him out where I was going to turn. And - it made ME feel awesome to have had the privilege of the moment when I could do a momentary kindness for someone else - with no expectation of reward.

It's called being a civilized human being. Some of you should try it some time.

Behavior is unacceptable regardless. Inform local security

He is not harming anyone. The unacceptable behavior is the Grandchildren running and bumping into the dancers. They are out of control.

He just ain't right. His physical and vocal actions constitute a public nuisance. It also ain't right that he is allowed to destroy the peaceful enjoyment of so many others. Why should his startlingly obnoxious behavior be allowed to take precedence over the needs of others?

Maybe my earlier post was missed. He was on the sidewalk in Spanish Springs on the perimeter of the square in a congested space. He went from no movement to a fast spin with his long arms fully outstretched. He nearly struck my wife who was walking beside me, holding my hand, and looking sideways at the band. That is nothing like grandchildren running around (poor parenting if they are banging into people).

This is not acceptable inside a crowd.

He has control over himself and he chooses to act out for attention.
He cannot use a supposed mental condition as an excuse to act this way or scream in public.