it breaks my heart too.  I remember how even in a special school, the social
lines get drawn. i.e. the talkers, the walkers, the wheelies...

I had one friend in 5th grade, and we are still best friends to this day. She
is a really sweet person. She lived in Torrance, and i lived in manhattan
beach, so, we called each other, and my parents invited her on excursions to
disneyland, to camping in the mountains, camping in the desert.

my mom kept me pretty busy, (therapy, tutoring) but it was that business
(SP?)  that kept me from getting to really know the kids on my block. even
so, one of the things we did to pretend i had a normal social life was girl
scouts. it was fun. and for a while i could pretend i had lots of friends.
but the truth was, that i was the only disabled kid in my area until little
Guy de maggio moved in two blocks away when I was 11.  there was one girl,
named dodie, who came over sometimes, she was in my g.,s. troup. she wanted
to know what it was like, so one day we put my braces (full length) and
helmet on her.  she was smaller, so the braces were too big for her.  but i
always appreciated her efforts.

jr high was much better, high school (at an alternative h.s.) was wonderful
because i had friends whose families were friends with my family. and i could
be part of the clique of friends that these girls were part of.

oh, it just makes me so sad, AND SO MAD that your daughter is facing this
loneliness...  tell her to be patient, that hopefully in h.q. it will be
better. sounds like she is very bright.

i will not tell you that church will be a place, because i went to temple and
not one of the kids there ever made an effort to be a friend to me. Except
the teachers and the t.a.'s who were beautiful  and wonderful from 10-12th
grade. i will never forget them.

In oakland there is a dance troupe made of both ab's and pwd's.  and they
have a children's class..  perhaps   there can be other efforts. perhaps you
can look on the web.  what about your dept of recreation?  I would for sure
get her on the web, to talk to other kids.

I don't know how our parents held it together, it must be very painful to go
thru this.
love, mag