My ASD Child

Question I need some practical advice on how to deal with public tantrums and meltdowns and shrieking. It seems like sometimes when I try to stop the shrieking in public, it increases. I want to do what is right by my son, but I feel ignorant as he has just been diagnosed with ASD... Please help! Answer The tantrums and meltdowns caused by Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) can be very different than what most people would consider a 'temper tantrum'. They are caused by the same sort of things, but they may happen more easily, or for a much more unusual stimulus. In addition, it may not be that the youngster particularly wants something, so much as that the world has become too much, and he is simply lashing out against it.   ==> How to Prevent Meltdowns and Tantrums in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder The most important part about dealing with tantrums and meltdowns is finding out what is causing them. While a lot of what is causing them can't be a

Following the six-step plan, detailed below, will help prepare you for the entrance of a youngster with Aspergers (high functioning autism) in your classroom, as well as foster inclusion throughout the school. The steps are as follows: (1) educate yourself; (2) reach out to the moms and dads; (3) prepare the classroom; (4) educate peers and promote social goals; (5) collaborate on the implementation of an educational program; and (6) manage behavioral challenges. Step 1: Educate Yourself— As the person responsible for the education and behavior management of all your children, including a youngster with Aspergers, you must have a working understanding of Aspergers and its associated behaviors. Different behaviors are very much a part of Aspergers. When kids with Aspergers do not respond to the use of language or act out in class, it is typically not because they are ignoring you, trying to clown around, or waste class time. These behaviors may be more related to their Asper

While we are a bit sad about our son Stephen's diagnosis of Aspergers, we are also actually somewhat happy to find out. Finally, we have direction and some understanding! Just like you read about kids with Aspergers or PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified), Stephen has a lot of idiosyncracies, practices, attitudes, etc. that get him in trouble and teased and ridiculed. He's also very sad at times, very depressed to the point of talking about suicide at least every other day. We had problems with him being attacked at school, over and over again, and after much screaming and threats of lawsuit over the lack of safety contributing to Stephen being repeatedly assaulted we were finally granted a meeting with the Director of Pupil Services, the District Psychologist and the Principal and Vice Principal of the school. After reciting Stephen's history to the District Psychologist she then asked us if anyone had ever mentioned Aspe