Advantages and Disadvantages of Labeling Children with an "Autism Spectrum Disorder"

If your child receives a formal diagnosis of AS or HFA, there are going to be a number of benefits as well as difficulties associated with getting “the label.” In this post, we will look at the advantages and disadvantages of getting labeled with a developmental disorder.

It is always important to remember that no person is a diagnosis, and that no diagnosis is the person. AS or HFA is merely one quality of an individual. The person will have many other traits and aspects of his or her personality. Parents and teachers are encouraged to learn about the child FIRST, and then explore the way the diagnosis affects his or her functioning.

In a nutshell, labels are useful as a tool. However, as we all know, some people use labels as a weapon.

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Helping Your Asperger’s Teen to Eliminate Thinking Errors

Many children and teens with Asperger’s (AS) and High-Functioning Autism (HFA) experience “thinking errors,” largely due to a phenomenon called “mind-blindness.” Mind-blindness can be described as a cognitive disorder where the child is unable to attribute mental states (e.g., emotions, beliefs, desires, motives) to himself or others. This ability to develop a mental awareness of what is in the mind of another person is known as the “Theory of Mind.”

Thinking errors are irrational patterns of cognition that can cause your AS or HFA teen to feel bad and sometimes act in self-defeating ways. If she becomes more upset the more she thinks about a troubling circumstance, she may want to consider the possibility of thinking in a different way. And you, as the parent, can help with this.

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Children on the Autism Spectrum and Peer-Rejection

Studies dealing with the implications of peer-rejection on later development indicate that children with ASD [Asperger's, High-Functioning Autism] experiencing harsh and continuous rejection over the years often reach a stage of despair, a decline in their self-image, loneliness and seclusion, behavioral difficulties, and suffer later from serious emotional disturbances and lack of ability to create meaningful relationships as adults. 

Resources for parents of children and teens on the autism spectrum:
 

==> How to Prevent Meltdowns and Tantrums in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

==> Parenting System that Reduces Defiant Behavior in Teens with Autism Spectrum Disorder

==> Launching Adult Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Guide for Parents Who Want to Promote Self-Reliance

==> Teaching Social-Skills and Emotion-Management to Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

==> Parenting Children and Teens with High-Functioning Autism: Parents' Comprehensive Handbook

==> Unraveling the Mystery Behind High-Functioning Autism: Audio Book

==> Crucial Research-Based Parenting Strategies for Children and Teens with High-Functioning Autism

 

Best Comment:

Interestingly enough I mentioned to our son yesterday that I thought the incident he had in grade 6 with a group of boys who were his buddies and then turned on him at the end of June, was the beginning of a change in him. He, of course, scoffed at this, but I have always thought it had a much bigger impact on him then he ever let on. In the fall of that year, his class moved onto Junior High and the whole social mix changed. He says that he has felt depression since grade 7.  That is the year he began to withdraw from school life and sports bit by bit. We have always supported his friendships in the community by knowing and friending the parents of these kids. But of course we do not really know what goes on at school and how our son interprets things. And he is not one to tell us of things that may have happened at school.