Viewing Aspergers and HFA as a Difference Rather Than a Disability
"What are you thoughts on this concept of viewing people on the high functioning end of the autism spectrum as 'differently able' rather than 'disabled'. Would this shift in the public view do more harm than good? Or would this be a better way to understand the 'disorder'."?
Click here for my response...
Click here for my response...
More resources for parents of children and teens with High-Functioning Autism and Asperger's:
==> How To Prevent Meltdowns and Tantrums In Children With High-Functioning Autism and Asperger's
==> Parenting System that Significantly Reduces Defiant Behavior in Teens with Aspergers and High-Functioning Autism
==> Launching Adult Children with Asperger's and High-Functioning Autism: Guide for Parents Who Want to Promote Self-Reliance
==> Teaching Social Skills and Emotion Management to Children and Teens with Asperger's and High-Functioning Autism
==> Parenting Children and Teens with High-Functioning Autism: Comprehensive Handbook
==> Unraveling The Mystery Behind Asperger's and High-Functioning Autism: Audio Book
==> Highly Effective Research-Based Parenting Strategies for Children with Asperger's and High-Functioning Autism
Comments
However, in all actuality, it is a learning disability. And having a learning disability does not mean that your stupid or otherwise "less" than the rest of the population. In my opinion, it just means that your learning needs are different than the average student in your age group.
Being gifted made me different. I had social issues because I couldn't relate to children my own age. I often zoned out during class because I was bored out of my mind. I procrastinated because I simply had no interest in the subjects I was being taught. On the other hand, I had very narrow interests and became rather obsessed with things like Dinosaurs in elementary school, Star Wars in Middle School and Harry Potter in High School. And by obsessed, I mean obsessed. 'Twas all I talked about. Drove my family and few friends absolutely crazy.
I didn't have a problem with being different though. Still don't. What I would have liked would have been the opportunity to learn material at my own pace, instead of having to sit through a classroom full of struggling readers as they read. one. word. at. a. time. aloud. and I had finished the entire story by the time they finished their paragraph. I would have loved to have had teachers that understood my "disability" as an "ability" so they weren't yelling at me to pay attention or stop doodling or stop writing various novel-length fan-fiction stories.
I'm surprised, considering that most of these adults who wish to have Aspie-ness changed most likely went through the same things that I did as a student. My district now gives IEPs to gifted kids for enrichment opportunities (sitting in with an older grade for a particular subject) and study hall time as early as elementary school. They have done this because of the realization that being gifted falls under the exceptional learning umbrella.
Regardless of labels, I don't know why anyone would want to do something that would lessen the opportunities for the *NEXT* generation of kids with that specific "difference." I'm sorry, but to me, it seems rather selfish and stereotypically Aspie. These select groups of Aspie adults who want to get rid of the diagnoses and just be "quirky individuals" are not thinking about the fact that by having the diagnosis the next students will be able to sit ahead in math and science classes so they aren't bored out of their mind, they'll be able to qualify for various therapies that may help them deal with their levels of stress and anxiety, and they will be able to develop a confidence against being teased and ridiculed by others in school.
I get that I'm a parent, and I may see it differently. But my husband is an adult-diagnosed Aspie and he wishes that his parents would have thought to take him and have him evaluated as a child because of the teasing and such that he went through in school, along with the boredom experienced in certain areas and the struggle he had with the abstract concepts in school.
So for these people to say that they just want it to be a personality "thing" -- they don't seem to be thinking about their childhoods nor the childhood of the several billion future Aspies that may or may not even exist yet.
The whole movement just seems to be getting on my nerves. Perhaps I'm biased because of my son. Perhaps I'm biased because I'm in the process of opening a school in my area just for kids with Asperger's, ADHD and who are otherwise gifted. It does seem awfully selfish to me though -- it lacks the forethought of the future generations.
But then again, my favorite fictional characters growing up were people like Spock, Data (TNG) and Severus Snape. All of which, minus the fact that Data is actually an android, could very easily be considered Aspies in their own right. And I married one. Obviously, I have an affinity for the non-emotional, non-social, intelligent and quirky being.
So don't get me wrong -- I don't want it to be a labelled "disability" so that I can take my kid to social therapy sessions and try to "fix" him. He doesn't need fixed. THAT, I agree with.
What I do want is for him to be able to have a fulfilling and exciting education based on his abilities and strengths/weaknesses, and I want him to be confident in himself so that when the inevitable teasing DOES happen, he can think "Pfft. Your loss, not mine." and go on with his life.
And, having an explanation for inlaws who seem to think that I should just beat my child into submission every time I turn around is quite helpful. "He doesn't like water." "So? Pour it over his head, he'll get over it." "No he won't, it took me 15 months to even get him to put his feet in the bathtub after you did that to him the last time." "Yeah, because you didn't just keep doing it." "Any time that I tried, he'd have a meltdown and try to bang his head on the side of the tub." "Get out the belt then." *roll eyes*
:)
After looking up some things online, it appears that there are many traditional Montessori schools across the country who shy away from kids on the spectrum because of their stimming (both physically and verbally), their misuse of materials and their difficulty with instructions. My son had absolutely no desire to imitate the instructor as she showed him the lesson... and one of the key points to strict Montessori schools is that you SHOW the lesson to the student, with as few words as you can manage, and you have them "copy" you in order to complete the lesson on their own.
That's awesome that your local school was accomidating for your son, but unfortunately (just like the IEP issues across the country), it doesn't happen everywhere.
8 hours ago · Like · 4 people
I do agree with the difference between the reframing as a disability and reframing as a different *ability* -- and I feel that way about most learning disabled kids. The strengths should be highlighted and the weaknesses should be taught according to the child's strengths. A student once had an affinity for dinosaurs at the age of 5. Could recite every single dinosaur as well as what time period it lived in, how big it was and if it was a herbivore, carnivore or omnivore. We used that strength to teach him his alphabet. By taking the different names of dinosaurs, along with a picture, and a Montessori-inspired movable alphabet, we had him copy the name using the single letters and with each letter he matched, we told him what it was and the sound it made. He knew all 26 of them in a very short period of time. Making an "A" puppet that was shaped like an Astronaut or a "K" that looked like it was kicking would not have helped him in the least, although many typical students are then able to put the letter together with the sound by that approach.
The key is definitely to use the strengths to build upon and, in cases where necessary, overcome the weaknesses. The key should ALWAYS be to help the child succeed and live up to his or her full potential, no matter what the potential is. The problem remains with the parents who wish for their child's potential to be social based where it may not ever be. Maybe the kindergarten dinosaur lover will grow to be an excellent paleontologist. Maybe he will find another unique interest as he gets older. But we as parents, educators, and counselors should be much more concerned with helping the child fulfill his or her dreams, just like we would any typical child. We just have to remember that the dreams may be a little different than what we may expect and that the education and confidence that will foster the ability for the child to reach for the stars is going to be different from those NT children.
If it would, in the future, become just a "personality trait" as compared to other personality types, the aspect of helping the child learn in a way that is natural to him may be lost.
So no, I don't think of my son or any of my students as "disabled" in the meaning that they cannot achieve what others may be able to, but I do know that they learn differently and with the beaurocratic and political nature of the public school system across the country, they NEED that label, from an educational standpoint, in order to have those educational needs met so that they can reach the potential that they all have inside of them. :)
17 hours ago · Like