My ASD Child

"My teenage son with high functioning autism has (in my opinion) the absolute worse eating habits ...honestly, potato chips and soda make up about 75% of his diet. He would rather lose game privileges than eat a vegetable. I've given up! Help!!" Click here for the answer...

Question Is Aspergers hereditary? Answer There is a strong genetic component with Aspergers, but it doesn't necessarily mean that you will inherit it from your parents, or that your children will inherit from you, only that you have a higher likelihood of having Aspergers than the general population if someone in your family has Aspergers. If both parents have autism or Aspergers, there is an even greater likelihood that they will have children with autism or Aspergers, but it does not mean that all or any of their children will. Ongoing research is attempting to determine causes of autism spectrum disorders, but there are still many unanswered questions.

“We recently got a diagnosis. H ow should I ex plain high functioning autism to my affected son and his ‘typical’ siblings?" Click here for the answer...

"Any suggestions for my 4 year old high functioning boy that hits and bites his playmates when he’s mad?" Unfortunately, many youngsters with Asperger’s (AS) and High-Functioning Autism (HFA) are often physically aggressive …they hit, bite and scratch others. These behaviors are fairly common and often appear by the youngster's first birthday. Moms and dads often struggle over how to manage their youngster's aggressive and/or destructive behavior. While some biting can occur during normal development, persistent biting can be a sign that a youngster has emotional or behavioral problems. While many AS and HFA kids occasionally fight with or hit others, frequent and/or severe physical aggression may mean that a youngster is having serious emotional or behavioral problems that require professional evaluation and intervention. Persistent fighting or biting when a youngster is in daycare or preschool can be a serious problem. At this age, AS and HFA kids have much mo

“Is it common for children with asperger’s and high functioning autism to also have oppositional defiant disorder?” Click here for the answer...

"How can I handle tantrums with my child on the autism spectrum? How should I deal with 'meltdowns'? Should the two be treated differently? If so, how does one know the difference between the two? Sorry for all the questions... but this is all new to me. My son was recently diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and I want to do the right thing here! Please help. Thank you." Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), also known as Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDDs), cause severe and pervasive impairment in thinking, feeling, language, and the ability to relate to others. These disorders are usually first diagnosed in early childhood and range from a severe form, called autistic disorder, through pervasive development disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), to a much milder form, Asperger syndrome (now called "high functioning autism"). They also include two rare disorders, Rett syndrome and childhood disintegrative disorder. Some ASD kids are more

Question How do I balance out the needs of two children on the spectrum and two NT kids? Answer Parenting is hard work. Unless you have a child with Asperger’s Syndrome or Autism, you just have no idea about the true demands this adds to everyday parenting. A second child on the spectrum does not always mean more of the same because every child is affected so differently. Balancing the needs of a large family is a full time job, even without Asperger’s Syndrome! It is easy to feel overwhelmed and stretched too thin when you have so much on your parenting plate. Planning a strategy to help meet everyone’s needs is necessary. Don’t forget to take care of yourself so you’ll feel like taking care of everyone else. Taking care of yourself: Participate in support groups focused on the needs of Asperger’s families. Find respite care when you need a break. Everyone deserves to get out and relax for an hour or so. Do not ignore your hobbies. A mother with four