My ASD Child

Aspergers Students: Tips for Teachers Help for Parents with Defiant Aspergers Teens How To Monitor What Your Aspergers Child Does Online What is the difference between a meltdown and a tantrum? The Aspergers Comprehensive Handbook Mother of an Aspergers child tells her story... Aspergers Meltdowns MyAspergersChild.com - Advertisement As Seen On NBC How to Prevent Meltdowns in Aspergers Children An Aspergers Teenager Talks His Experience Asperger's Syndrome Documentary This Emotional Life A film made by young people with Aspergers Syndrome... Asperger's Documentary - My Crazy Life Asperger's Syndrome: A Real Story Living with an Aspergers Partner or Spouse Launching Older Teens and Adult Children With Aspergers Join Parenting Aspergers Children Support Group on Facebook Teaching Tips for Children with Aspergers Aspergers Teens Talk About Their Struggles Aspergers 101: The Basics Parenting A

"My 6-year-old son was diagnosed with ADHD at age 5. But now we are seeing signs that he may have 'high functioning' autism. What percentage of ADHD children also have autism? Is a dual diagnosis common?" Most kids with ASD level 1 (high functioning autism) don’t receive that diagnosis until after age 6. Usually, they are diagnosed with ADHD as toddlers. Part of the reason is that physicians routinely screen kids for ADHD but not for autism.    Another reason is that an ASD child's social impairment becomes more evident once he starts school. Finally, physicians are reluctant to label a youngster "autistic." It is okay - and even a badge of honor - to have a hyperactive youngster , but it is another thing entirely to have an autistic youngster . Physicians make their diagnoses based on the youngster’s behaviors. Since kids with ADHD and ASD share similar behaviors, the two can appear to overlap. However, there is a fundamental difference between th

“Any ideas on how to help our high-functioning son improve his self-esteem and start to feel more capable of doing certain things. He’s a very sensitive boy that doesn’t seem to have much faith in his abilities… for example, during the last school year he wouldn't turn in homework because he was afraid of getting get an ‘F’… won’t even attempt to ride his bicycle (it just collects dust in the garage)… refuses to attend Sunday School because ‘nobody likes’ him (prefers sitting with us during regular service) …just to name a few.” A young person with Asperger’s (AS) or High-Functioning Autism (HFA) often feels powerless and inadequate. He tends to be a passive learner and needs to be totally involved in activities to make him an active learner. You can encourage hands-on activities (e.g., cleaning, cooking, shopping, and running errands, etc.) to show your “special needs” child that he is competent and can make things happen. These learning activities have the added benefit

Question My daughter has difficulty socializing with her peers. One day, she has friends, and the next day no more. When conflicts arise, she doesn't know what to say, do. She doesn't know how to express in words her feelings. She tries, but it's confused. She sees things as black and white. How can I as a parent help her? Answer Here are some tips for those Aspergers (high functioning autistic) individuals who struggle with developing friendships: 1. Think about the person you want to be friends with. Anchor your thoughts on the other person. Here are some things to keep in mind: How might they feel about what you want to say? What might they think? What do you know or remember about them? What might they want to talk about? 2. Watch your non-verbal body language. Your physical presence ‘greases the wheel’ of conversation. How you present yourself physically will plant the seed in your friend’s mind that you want to talk to him/her. Here are som

"My son was originally diagnosed with ADD (age 4), but now they say he has 'high functioning' autism and ADD (age 6). What is the main difference between these two conditions, and is it possible to have both?" Most kids don’t receive a diagnosis of ASD level 1, or High-Functioning Autism (HFA), until after age 5 or 6 (around the time they start public school). Usually, they are diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder as preschoolers. Part of the reason for this is that pediatricians routinely screen kids for ADD – but not for autism. Another reason is that an HFA kid's social impairment becomes more evident once he or she starts school. Finally, pediatricians are reluctant to label a youngster as "autistic." It is okay - and even a badge of honor - to have a “hyperactive” youngster, but it is another thing entirely to have an “autistic” youngster. Pediatricians make their diagnoses based on the kid's behaviors. Since kids with ADD and

Asperger’s (high functioning autism) is a lifelong developmental disorder, but ironically, most research studies on the disorder have been cross-sectional (i.e., they only provide a snapshot of what it looks like at a single point in time). Why? Because following people with Asperger’s and HFA over long periods of time is expensive and requires a lot effort on the part of families and researchers, which is unfortunate since long-term studies are the only way to understand what early-life factors help some kids with the disorder do better than others over the long haul (something that can’t be assessed in cross-sectional studies). Thanks to new statistical techniques, researchers can now group their study participants based on shared characteristics that unfold over time. A handful of long-term studies, each including up to several hundred participants, have now followed individuals on the autism spectrum for nearly 20 years. As the young people in these studies come of age, res