Helping Teens on the Autism Spectrum to Cope with the Loss of Normalcy
“I have a 16 y.o. teen with high functioning autism who seems to be down in the dumps a lot lately. He has stated he knows he is ‘different’ than his friends and classmates, and may be feeling a sense of shame about that (IDK?). How can I help him to not feel so alienated from his peer group?” Regardless of the individual developmental route, most young people with High-Functioning Autism (HFA) and Asperger’s (AS) start realizing that they are not quite like others at some point during their adolescence. Around that age, they have a higher level of interest in others, but don’t have the skills to connect in socially-accepted ways. Also, they’re at the age where they have a higher level of insight into their difficulties with social interaction. Signs that your HFA or AS teen is feeling depressed about his dilemma include: Withdrawing himself from the rest of the family Refusing to participate in group activities Putting himself down (e.g., saying he is ‘stupid’) Not be