My ASD Child

Adolescent bullying includes a wide range of aggressive behavior, including direct and indirect hostility. Direct contact can be either verbal or physical (e.g., teasing, name-calling, pushing and hitting). Direct bullying is more common among males than females. Indirect bullying (which is more common among girls) happens when teens spread rumors about each other, often in an attempt to exclude a peer from social gatherings or other activities. When adolescent bullying meets technology, “cyber-bullying” emerges. Through digital technology, aggressive messages can be instantly broadcast to a wide audience. Senders can remain anonymous or fake a user name, and they can attach demeaning or explicit images. This so-called "electronic hostility" includes any type of harassment or intimidation that occurs through various sources, for example: blogs chat rooms email instant messaging text messaging websites other electronic formats Despite the fact that adolescent

College depression is a common problem in young people with Aspergers and High-Functioning Autism (HFA). Moms and dads need to understand why the transition to college makes their “special needs” son or daughter vulnerable to depression — and what they can do about it – BEFORE the young adult attempts, and then fails, his or her first semester of college. “College depression” isn't a clinical diagnosis. Rather, it’s a form of an adjustment disorder (i.e., a type of stress-related mental illness or depression).  Typically, signs and symptoms of an adjustment disorder begin within three months of a stressful life event (in this case, going away to school). Depression, however, may occur at any time. College students with Aspergers and HFA face many challenges, pressures and anxieties that their “typical” peers do not. Many factors can cause these young people to feel overwhelmed, for example: adapting to a new schedule adapting to a new workload adjusting to life

My 13 year old son has not been diagnosed with Asperger's although a couple of professionals he has seen have mentioned it as a possibility. His IQ tested at the low end of average and he is delayed in math, spelling and writing. According to his educational psychologist, his verbal skills are his strongest and long term retrieval is his weakest area. It often seems we struggle with what is age appropriate expectation/discipline with him. Does he understand/does he even remember what the issue is? I don't want to underestimate him, but don't want to frustrate either. In moments of extreme stress my husband tends to fall back to traditional methods like increasingly long periods of grounding. Then he feels like he overreacted and will take it back. I tend to avoid the confrontation in order to keep peace and wind up walking the minefield all day. Although I will face the fire when I feel it is a serious or moral issue. Our son goes through periods of destructive tantrums. Th