My ASD Child

Research shows that the pressure to have sex, use tobacco, alcohol, and illegal drugs comes most often from wanting to be accepted, wanting to belong, and wanting to be noticed. Help your Asperger's (high-functioning autistic) teenager learn what qualities to look for in a friend, and advise him about what to say if offered harmful substances. Children who have difficulty making friends need your support to avoid being isolated or bullied. This post offers information and tips to support your child's social skills and development at a time when he is making important decisions that will affect his whole life. Teen Popularity Tied to Alcohol, Tobacco, and Illegal Drug Use— From cigarette-smoking James Dean in the 1950s to the current generation of rave goers, images of popularity among teenagers often have included alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drug use. In a study at the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, researchers found that young p

A sad fact: The majority of children with Aspergers will experience repeated bullying and/or victimization at school.   Aspergers students are easy targets for a variety of reasons: Due to having a low social IQ, they let things build up …then retaliate without an awareness of what the consequences might be They appear different than their “typical” peers They are not always aware of teasing or bullying behavior “Intimidation” is not in their vocabulary The need to dominate or control others is not part of their personality Aspergers (high-functioning autistic) children who are bullied are more likely to be depressed, anxious, and suicidal. They struggle in school (when they decide to show up at all). They're more likely to carry weapons, get in physical fights, and abuse drugs. But when it comes to the actual damage bullying does, the picture becomes more clouded. One  individual with Aspergers (now an adult) recounts here childhood experience with bullies:

What do you know about the bullying of Aspergers (high functioning autistic) children in schools?  Here are the facts: 1. Although there is no consistent evidence that bullying overall is increasing, one area of growing concern is cyber-bullying, especially among older children. 2. Being bullied at school typically has negative effects on the physical and psychological well-being of those kids who are frequently and severely targeted. 3. Bullying can be categorized as physical, verbal and gestural. 4. Bullying has been reported as occurring in every school and kindergarten or day-care environment in which it has been investigated. 5. Aspergers kids typically report being bullied less often as they get older, although being victimized tends to increase when they enter secondary school. 6. Gender differences have been found indicating that Aspergers boys are bullied physically more often than Aspergers girls. Female bullies are generally more often involved in i

"My son (age 9) with high functioning autism tells me that he has been bullied by one of his classmates since the start of the school year. My son said he didn't mentioned it earlier because he didn't realize until recently that this other student was actually doing something "wrong" (go figure). How do you address bullying when the school seems to be indifferent about it – and has even blamed my son for initiating some of the conflict? If they don’t actually see the bullying taking place, they seem to assume that it’s not going on and that my son is simply exaggerating the problem." According to research, 94% of kids with High-Functioning Autism (HFA) and Asperger’s (AS) are bullied. Bullying usually begins when the HFA or AS student is harassed by another student (or a group of students), but is unable to resist and lacks the support of others. It usually continues if the student doing the bullying has little or no sympathy for the peer they are hu

Over 25% of public schools report that bullying among students occurs on a daily basis. Also, one in five middle school students with ASD (high-functioning autism) report being bullied in the past 3 months. The good news is that, since bullying has made national headlines, schools and communities – and even celebrities – are taking a strong anti-bullying stance. Parents can do their part at home, too. Bullying Facts: Bullies - and victims of bullying - have difficulty adjusting to their environments, both socially and psychologically. Bullies are more likely to smoke and drink alcohol, and to be poorer students. Bullying occurs most frequently from sixth to eighth grade, with little variation between urban, suburban, town and rural areas. Females are more likely to be verbally or psychologically bullied. Males are more likely to be physically bullied. Males are more likely to be bullies - and victims of bullying - than females. Students who are both bullies - and re