My ASD Child

Mark, I watched the videos in the first lesson last night. Great job. It's like you are speaking from personal experience, like you remember what it was like to be in the mind of a child. It's just crazy because you have successfully transported into the mind of my three kids. More importantly, you have become the virtual voice of my sons with PDD. I have had trouble figuring out what is going on in their head, since they cannot speak in full sentences yet. But behavior is communication. I have to shift my focus from words to actions. Be an observer.  I am hopeful and feel liberated having week 1 strategies. They are pretty simple, if you think about it. The part on dependency and self-reliance blew MY mind. I have got work to do. And I scored an 81 on the indulgence test. Yikes. But this is all dead on and I have a part to play. It is now time for me to create these healthy boundaries the correct way.  I just wanted you to know I appreciate your de

Key points for teachers and parents regarding "capitalizing on strengths" rather than "repairing deficits" in students with Asperger's and High-Functioning Autism: ==> Teaching Students with Asperger's and High-Functioning Autism

When a crisis event occurs, it can cause strong reactions in parents, teachers – and kids, especially those with High Functioning Autism (HFA). There are many “crisis response” resources that are appropriate for use with "special needs" children, provided that individual consideration is given to the youngster’s developmental and emotional maturity. How parents and teachers react, respond, or express their feelings will influence the reactions of HFA kids.  Furthermore, these young people will react to the stress based on their past experience and awareness of the current situation. Adults who know the youngster well can best predict his or her reactions and behaviors, because they have observed the youngster’s response to stress in the past. A trigger is a thought about a situation that leads to an inappropriate response to that situation (i.e., it is not the situation or the feeling that is the problem, rather it is how the children “think” about these thi