My ASD Child

Your intelligent Aspergers (high functioning autistic) child has made it to his junior year in high school, and it's time to consider colleges! The good news is that more and more colleges are meeting the special needs of Aspergers teens to help them succeed. Here are some important suggestions for teens with Aspergers (and their moms and dads) as they think about applying for, managing, and thriving in college: 1. Consider broadening your search if your youngster has additional disabilities such as ADHD, which often co-exists with Aspergers. Academic programs for kids with organizational disabilities may also offer social help for Aspergers people. 2. Consider taking a few classes online. Young people with Aspergers may be overwhelmed by the harsh lighting and noise from a classroom. You may want to check and see if a couple of your required classes may be taken online. However, be advised that taking classes online actually requires more self-discipline than in a tr...

Hello Mr. Hutten: I am a Master of Social Work student at the University of Windsor in Canada. I am currently doing a clinical placement at a children’s mental health organization. I am very interested in Asperger’s and would like to move forward with a research proposal for my MSW thesis. More specifically, I am interested in examining whether (through treatment) it is possible to assist adolescents in shifting their fixation/obsession with a specific object. The reason I am interested in this is because we are currently working with an adolescent who has a fixation with cars and this fixation is potentially harmful to him and others due to the fact that he has already been in contact with the law from this fixation. If it is possible to shift a fixation through treatment, my colleagues and I would like to know what treatment approaches are successful. Would you be able to answer this question or point me in the right direction (i.e. specific studies surrounding evidence based tre...

Kids with Aspergers (high functioning autism) need to have a routine and need to know what is going to happen next at all times. Routine is stabilizing and essential to kids with Aspergers; they get very anxious when they are not prepared for what will happen. Having a routine and predictability helps kids with Aspergers feel safe. Whether you're trying to figure out how to best help a youngster, creating a routine, using explicit, literal, verbal language to communicate, being aware of sensory issues and trying to minimize them as much as possible, and having lots of love and understanding will go a long way to helping kids with Aspergers navigate the world. What are some things a parent can do to help? The most important thing is to be consistent. Kids with Aspergers thrive on routine. Everything needs to be done at the same time, in the same way, every day, as much as possible, to give a sense of safety and security. When there will be a change in routine, tell you...

Question Our Aspergers teenager is rejecting us and not listening. She is a loner, no friends, and depends 95% on us for daily living. She only goes out to school. Other than that, she is in her room and only comes out to the kitchen for meal time. She has frequent minor and major meltdowns …is very destructive, rude, disrespectful etc. I don't feel safe in my own house. I'm scared most of the time because her meltdowns are unpredictable. The problem is we are not communicating! We need your advice …and thank you for your time and your hard work. Answer She’s giving you the silent treatment because she is harboring resentment. Resentment can be a rather toxic emotion both for the youngster stuck in a swirl of resentment and for the parent on the other side of it. When our youngster is harboring resentment about something that might have happened or is feeling resentful toward us, it can be hard to take, but there are ways of coping and helping our youngster throu...

The public and professionals are becoming more aware of the impact of Aspergers on families. Aspergers (also referred to as high-functioning autism or ASD level 1) is a subtle, almost paradoxical, disorder that seems to adversely affect men slightly more than women. It was believed by some professionals that most males with Aspergers do not marry, but this is not the case and the more able people do form relationships, marry and have kids. They are often capable workers and are highly qualified but nevertheless have great difficulties in personal relationships. Diagnosis is problematic because of disagreements about criteria, but also because of a convergence between "macho" male characteristics and many traits associated with Aspergers. There are obvious dangers in confusing the two. Research supported by the National Autistic Society into the intimate relationships of couples where one partner is affected by Aspergers shows that males with the condition tend...

Question How do you deal with an Aspergers child who also suffers with anxiety? Answer For kids with Aspergers (high functioning autism), anxiety can be overwhelming. What causes this anxiety? Just about anything can cause anxiety. The stress of social situations when you have weak social skills, changes in your normal routine or in the order of things, depression due to the loneliness that can come with lacking social abilities, and frustration. Truthfully, frustration is the root of anxiety in kids with Aspergers. In kids with Aspergers, anxiety builds as frustration builds. Something as simple as being forced to make eye contact and explain your reasons for choosing a certain book to read can cause frustration. Imagine trying to find the words you need and learning that some of those words are missing. Imagine having to look someone in the eye and feeling actual physical discomfort when doing so. Imagine eating in a noisy, crowded cafeteria when the sights, ...