My ASD Child

Playing and conversing with classmates is a daily routine for school-aged kids. But children with ASD (Aspergers, High Functioning Autism) are often isolated and rejected by their peers. Their problems making and keeping a “buddy” are exacerbated by their poor social skills. The sensitive educator should realize that kids go to school for a living. School is their job, their livelihood, and their identity. Thus, the crucial role that teachers play in the youngster's social development and self-concept should not be under-estimated. Even if a youngster is enjoying “academic success,” her attitude about school will be determined by the degree of “social success” she experiences. There is much that the educator can do to promote social development in the special needs child. Kids tend to fall into four basic social categories in the school environment: Children who, although not openly rejected, are ignored by peers and are uninvolved in the social aspects of school. Ch

There are many conditions associated with Aspergers and High-Functioning Autism. In this video, we look specifically at obsessive-compulsive disorder, and its treatment:

"As a teacher, I would like to ask you what method you use to find the real reasons [or triggers] for behavior problems in students with high functioning autism?" In order to identify the underlying causes of difficult behaviors in children with Asperger’s (AS) and High-Functioning Autism (HFA), a Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) must be performed. An FBA is an approach that incorporates a variety of techniques to diagnose the causes and to identify likely interventions intended to address difficult behaviors. An FBA looks beyond the actual problem behavior, and instead, focuses on identifying biological, social, affective, and environmental factors that initiate, sustain, or end the problem behavior in question. The FBA is important because it leads the researcher beyond the "symptom" (i.e., the behavior) to the child's underlying motivation to escape, avoid, or get something (i.e., the cause of the behavior). Behavior intervention plans stemming fr

“I'd like to ask you about a very big problem for our autistic son - his perfectionism! Can you give me some advice on what to do about this issue, because I believe it is a major contributing factor to his never-ending anxiety, especially when doing his homework?”    ==> CLICK HERE for the full article...

 "I need to come up with some ideas for my son' teacher. My son is on the spectrum. The teacher is really struggling with his behavior as well as his learning style (he's a very visual learner, I know, and he doesn't do well with lengthy verbal instructions)." Research has identified classroom characteristics that promote success for children with Aspergers and High-Functioning Autism (HFA: individualized instruction, interesting curriculum, positive reinforcement, predictability, short working periods, small teacher-to-student ratio, and plenty of structure. Research has also identified optimal teacher characteristics: consistency, firmness, frequent monitoring of the child’s work, humor, knowledge of behavior management strategies for students on the spectrum, patience, personal warmth, and positive academic expectations. Based on this research, here are 70 quick and simple – yet highly effective – tips and tricks to use in teaching your students who are

In this post, we will look at how to create an effective behavioral intervention plan for students with Aspergers and High-Functioning Autism… Once the IEP team (including the parents) has conducted a functional assessment, the information obtained from that assessment should be used to develop a behavioral intervention plan. The purpose of this intervention plan is to spell out what behaviors are being targeted for change – and how change will be handled. Certain items in the behavioral intervention plan are required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, while others are simply good information to have included: description of how the child’s behavior will be handled should it reach a crisis stage (called a “crisis plan”) definition and description of the behavior being targeted description of how the success of the interventions will be measured description of previously tried interventions and how well they did - or didn’t - work in changing behavi

I have an 11 year old daughter I am going to need your expert help with.  I have known for years she was on the spectrum at the high end but don't have a diagnosis.  We have done all the on line tests and even the Asperger's Syndrome Diagnostic Scale which puts her in the "very likely" range.  All the other parent questionaires and quizes scored her very high for AS or HFA.  The problem with officially diagnosing is she also has selective mutism.  Communicates fairly well at home with immediate family members and has one same age cousin that she talks to..That's it.  Clams up completely when we get in the car to go anywhere. Social anxiety BIGTIME.  We are seeing a therapist for the SM but she wants further testing to confirm the AS - but how to test on a child who will not talk or cooperate outside the home?  Do you have experience with selective mutism?  I read about some kids with AS having SM but can't find anything that says what tool they used to diagnos