WATERLOO - Tucker Delveau likes sweat pants because they're soft. And he could do without the rough fabric of jeans.

The kindergartner has trouble reading, but possesses a large vocabulary for his age.

Most of all, he needs routine. On his first day of kindergarten this fall at Lou Henry Elementary, his mom visited the school before the school year for some reconnaissance.

She put together a picture book of nearly every room, office, nook and cranny in the school, so there would be no surprises on Tucker's first day of school. This technique, called social stories, helps children with autism cope with major life changes.

"I even took a picture of the bathroom. I'm surprised I didn't get a stall," said Kelly Delveau, Tucker's mother.

Tucker has Asperger syndrome, a form of autism. The unique challenges the disorder presents inspired Tucker's mother to form a support group especially for Asperger syndrome.

It's differentiated from classic autism by a person's tendency to obsessively focus on a single object or topic. As a result, people with Asperger syndrome can become experts on whatever they fixate on. "Their expertise, high level of vocabulary and formal speech patterns make them seem like little professors," according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders, a federal government agency.

For Tucker, his expertise at age 6 centers around "Pac-Man World 3," on the Nintendo Game Cube.

"He has an amazing memory. If you ever have a question about 'Pac-Man World 3,' the child could tell you," Kelly Delveau said.

In school, he's known to engage staff in conversations about science subjects like atoms, said his teacher, Linda Blau.

His teachers and parents have noticed Tucker differs from many children with classic autism in his desire for social interaction. Oftentimes, children with classic autism have no interest in making friends.

In Kelly Devleau's support group, there are children who probably won't ever be able to live independently. While others, like Tucker, live with milder symptoms.

"I fully expect him to go to college and get married. He's a bright little boy. Which is sometimes a problem," Kelly Delveau said.

Tucker zings funny one-liners and likes to play pranks on people. His mom sets up labels on different household objects to help Tucker learn to read, and he promptly rearranges the labels.

"The only person I prank is you," Tucker told his mother. "I only like the pranks when they work."

"Yes. Because I'm what you call 'gullible,'" she responded.

School takes extra work for everyone involved. Tucker sees a special educator for 30 minutes each day before returning to the regular classroom, and his kindergarten teacher writes in a yellow diary that Kelly Delveau reads every day to learn of her son's progress.

Patty Siems, Tucker's paraeducator, said Tucker fits in well with his classmates, but is still learning how to interact socially with them. He's very competitive and hates losing, can get frustrated when people don't do what he wants and will occasionally throw tantrums.

"If you ask him a question, Tucker, for one, will never look you square in the eye," she said, citing a classic symptom of autism. "You can see his wheels are spinning, but it will take him two, three, four minutes before he'll ever spit out a word."

Blau, his teacher, said the key to reaching Tucker is to present a choice - to behave well or not - and give him until the count of ten to decide what he wants to do.

"With Aspergers and autism, I think one of the things that stands out to me is every single (student) is different. There's not a formula that fits everyone. You have to really get to know them to find out what works."

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Contact Jens Manuel Krogstad at (319) 291-1580 or jens.krogstad@wcfcourier.com.

{M3For more information about the Asperger Syndrome support group in Waterloo, contact Kelly Delveau at (319) 232-3067 or k.delveau@mchsi.com.

{M3About Asperger syndrome

{M3The most distinguishing symptom of AS is a child's obsessive interest in a single object or topic to the exclusion of any other. Children with AS want to know everything about their topic of interest and their conversations with others will be about little else. Other characteristics of AS include repetitive routines or rituals, peculiarities in speech and language, socially and emotionally inappropriate behavior and the inability to interact successfully with peers, problems with nonverbal communication and clumsy and uncoordinated motor movements.

Children with AS are isolated because of their poor social skills and narrow interests. They may approach other people but make normal conversation impossible by inappropriate or eccentric behavior, or by wanting only to talk about their singular interest. Children with AS usually have a history of developmental delays in motor skills such as pedaling a bike, catching a ball or climbing outdoor play equipment. They often are awkward and poorly coordinated with a walk that can appear stilted or bouncy.

{M3Source: National Institute of Neurological Disorder and Stroke, at www.ninds.nih.gov.