Asperger Articles and Information
Please find for your convenience a range of articles we hope will assist you to better understand your Asperger Child, and the behaviour characteristics he/she displays.
Going to the Dentist
The profile of a child with Autism can mean that a trip to the Dentist is a potentially frightening event - for both parent and the child. If your AS child can't tolerate being touched at all, if he covers his ears with his hands at slight or sudden noises, if he wears a hat and/or doesn't engage in eye contact, if he's often in a world of his own and doesn't answer questions/requests and if he gets angry, agitated or melts down at smells then the trip to the dentist could be a nightmare! Read more
Bullying
Statistics show children with Aspergers Syndrome are more at risk of being bullied, with up to 94% of children with Aspergers Syndrome being victims of bullying. The data shows that they are subjected to victimisation on average 1-2 times a week. Having Aspergers Syndrome means these children are part of a vulnerable population and are easy targets. Full article
July 2011 e-News A copy of Nelle's latest newsletter. Read it now
Anxiety
Children with Asperger's Syndrome are known to be more naturally 'anxious' than their non-ASD peers. The challenges presented by the 5 characteristics of Asperger's Syndrome
- social impairment
- communication impairment
- repetitive behaviours
- difficulty with change
- sensory sensitivity
potentially make their world a confusing and frightening reality 24 hours a day. Read more
End of year frustration!
I was talking to a friend this morning and we were both having a whinge about the end of the school year (southern hemisphere) and the trials and tribulations that brings for our kids with Autism. Our moaning led us in all different directions - talking of solutions and strategies to the problems that this time of year brings for teachers, parents and children with ASD.
In classrooms around the country teachers tempers are frayed as the weather heats up, schedules are busy with work that has to be completed by years end, preparation for any final learning celebration is being undertaken, graduation ceremonies are being rehearsed and practised and school Christmas activities/celebrations are underway. A huge workload on it's own, but when it has to be prepared and provided X 30 students it can seem an impossibility. Tension, stress, anxiety...... waiting just under the surface of our teachers' ever so fragile but calm personas.
Excitement of the NT kids in all classes around the county is also building to a fever-pitch - wistful thoughts of Santa, Christmas, presents and the long, lazy days of the summer holidays. Read more
Asperger’s Syndrome at Christmas Time
The Christmas season is a time of joy and peace; celebrating with loved ones; when a feeling of hope renews the spirit. At least that’s what it’s meant to be like…however the reality for those of us blessed with a child with Asperger’s Syndrome is often very different!
A sense of anticipation and excitement for the approaching Christmas celebrations, and the wonder and magic this period of waiting brings is something most of us remember fondly from our own childhood. Preparing for Christmas Day from 1 st December by putting up the Christmas tree and decorations; sending and receiving Christmas cards amongst friends and family; cooking Christmas puddings and mince pies; shopping for Christmas presents and hanging the Christmas stockings held a sense of wonder. The building of anticipation only added to our enjoyment of the Season.
So it’s only natural that we try to recapture the magic of our childhood Christmas’s and recreate that same sense of wonder for our own children, by steadily increasing their anticipation for the 25 days leading up to Christmas.
Unfortunately, anticipation for the Asperger child is often a negative emotion that leads to overload, resulting in meltdown. So the reality for families with Asperger children means a steady increase in negative and inappropriate behaviours that often results in a huge meltdown on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day – the very time when we are meant to be enjoying the fruits of our preparation labours, a time of peace and joy.
Instead your child is behaving like a ‘demon possessed’ and creating havoc amongst his/her siblings, upsetting Aunt Betty and giving you ‘attitude’ when you try to diplomatically reprimand them – after all, it’s Christmas and you don’t really want to yell and scream!
So, how do you manage to foster some Christmas spirit amongst your family while keeping your Asperger child calm and behaving appropriately?
The first easy-to-implement strategy is to remove the word “Christmas” from your vocabulary. Simply put up the “tree” and “decorations”, cook a “pudding” and “mince pies”, send “cards” to friends and family and just go “shopping”. If appropriate, have a meeting with the rest of the family and ask their assistance in this area too, by minimising their use of the word “Christmas” in front of their sibling with Asperger’s Syndrome.
Secondly, when your Asperger child is present cut back on “chatter” about the BIG day. I know that our “inner child” tends to get excited about Christmas too, but we often unthinkingly contribute to the overwhelming anticipation by relating our plans and expectations for the Christmas season to our children as we go about our preparations.
Thirdly, don’t place any gifts under the tree until Christmas Eve. In our family, on Christmas Eve, each member privately wraps gifts in the afternoon and then they are placed under the tree all at once. This satisfies 2 concerns – “Out of sight, out of mind” – no visual reminders that Christmas is approaching, and it also minimises the waiting time for your Asperger child – we all know that being patient and the ability to wait aren’t usually strengths in Asperger children!
Minimising the Christmas ‘build-up’ for your Asperger child doesn’t have to mean the end of tradition or a lessening of your family’s enjoyment of the Christmas Season. Rather, by reducing the anticipation and expectation of Christmas to acceptable levels for an Asperger child, your family should experience an increase in the peace, joy and hope of the Christmas Season.
Merry Christmas!
You can never learn enough about Autism/Asperger's!
This week my Asperger child (21) successfully applied for and got an apartment, in a city far from home. He was emotionally and sensorily exhausted from living out of a suitcase and sleeping on a friends couch - no privacy - no space to call his own. We celebrated his delight at finally being able to afford an apartment on his own - he would never have to struggle with interacting with flat mates who didn't understand him again. He would never again be at their mercy when it comes to renewing a lease...."Oh, we want to live by ourselves" or "We have another friend who'd like to share, and we'd rather him". We also know this will contribute to his success - he needs a 'safe space' where he can be himself, recharge, chill out and most importantly, get away from people. Read more