My ASD Child

In this post, we will look at (a) the major challenges that Aspergers (high functioning autistic) students face in an educational setting, and (b) the appropriate classroom accommodations that teachers can utilize: Poor Motor Coordination—  Students with Aspergers are physically clumsy and awkward; have stiff, awkward gaits; are unsuccessful in games involving motor skills; and experience fine-motor deficits that can cause penmanship problems, slow clerical speed and affect their ability to draw. Classroom Accommodations— 1. Students with Aspergers may require a highly individualized cursive program that entails tracing and copying on paper, coupled with motor patterning on the blackboard. The educator guides the student's hand repeatedly through the formation of letters and letter connections and also uses a verbal script. Once the student commits the script to memory, he can talk himself or herself through letter formations independently. 2. Do not push the st

Teens and adults with Aspergers (high functioning autism) may experience some of the limitations discussed below, but seldom develop all of them. Also, the degree of limitation will vary. Be aware that not all teens and adults with Aspergers will need accommodations to perform their jobs, and many others may only need a few accommodations. Accommodation Ideas— 1. Employees with Aspergers may have difficulty communicating with co-workers or supervisors. Allow worker to have a friend or coworker attend meeting to reduce or eliminate the feeling of intimidation. Allow worker to provide written response in lieu of verbal response. Provide advance notice of date of meeting when worker is required to speak to reduce or eliminate anxiety. Provide advance notice of topics to be discussed in meetings to help facilitate communication. 2. Employees with Aspergers may experience difficulty managing time. This limitation can affect their ability to complete the task within a s

Does your Aspergers (high functioning autistic) child or teen seem to have a change in mood as the seasons change? A form of depression that follows a seasonal pattern, SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER (SAD) appears and disappears at the same times each year. Aspergers children with SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER usually have symptoms of depression as winter approaches and daylight hours become shorter. When spring returns and the days become longer again, they experience relief from the symptoms and a return to a fairly normal mood and energy level. Signs and Symptoms— Like other forms of depression, the symptoms of SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER can be mild, severe, or anywhere in between. Milder symptoms minimally interfere with the child’s ability to participate in everyday activities, while more severe symptoms can interfere much more. The symptoms of SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER are the same as those of depression, but occur during a specific time of year. It's the se

Is your Aspergers (AS) or high functioning autistic (HFA) child "acting-out"?  If so, the behavioral problems may be symptomatic of a deeper issue... Digestive function is the key to physical and emotional health. If your youngster has gluten intolerance and/or autistic symptoms, chances are he has something called “leaky gut syndrome.” In a youngster with leaky gut, the stomach lining is more porous than it should be, allowing protein molecules to slip through the gut and enter the blood stream where it causes an autoimmune and behavioral response . The most common causes of leaky gut are parasites, low stomach acid, prolonged chronic antibiotic use and food additives and preservatives. Gluten is the protein found in wheat, barley, rye and oats. AS and HFA kids with undiagnosed and untreated gluten intolerance commonly show these symptoms: 1. Difficulty in group games or sports: Your youngster may appear to be “cheating” on a board game or sport when, in fact, he c