My ASD Child

“Is it common for young adults on the high functioning end of the autism spectrum to have a hard time finding employment and to struggle in the workplace when they do get a job? My 22 year old son who is still living at home basically floats from one job to the next, separated by lengthy periods of unemployment. Do you have any advice regarding how he can find the right job for him and stick with it?” I wouldn’t say it’s “common,” but it’s true that some grown-ups with Asperger’s (AS) and High Functioning Autism (HFA) fail to meet entry requirements for jobs in their area of training, or fail to attain a job because of their poor interview skills, social skills deficits, eccentricities, or anxiety attacks. Having failed to secure skilled employment that is commensurate with their level of training, some of these AS or HFA adults are helped by well-meaning family members or friends to find a manual job. But as a result of their typically poor visual-motor skills, they may

“I need some advice on what academic curriculum would best fit a home-schooled child (6 y.o.) with Asperger syndrome. We had a bad year last year in regular school, and I’ve vowed to pull him out of the mainstream and start homeschooling after summer break. Please help!” The curriculum content for a child with Asperger’s or High Functioning Autism should be decided based on long-term goals, so that the utility of each item is evaluated in terms of its long-term benefits for the child’s socialization skills, vocational potential, and quality of life. Emphasis should be placed on skills that correspond to relative strengths for your child as well as skills that may be viewed as central for his future vocational life (e.g., writing skills, computer skills, science, etc.). If your child has an area of special interest that is not so unusual that it would prohibit him from using it for possible future employment, such an interest should be cultivated in a systematic fashion (e.g.

Children with Asperger’s and High Functioning Autism (HFA) often exhibit different forms of challenging behavior. It's imperative that these behaviors are not seen as willful or malicious; more accurately, they should be viewed as connected to the child’s disorder. Parents and teachers need to recognize the difficulties that the youngster on the autism spectrum brings to each situation as a result of his or her neurologically-based disorder. In this post, we will discuss the following: Symptoms that cause behavioral problems   Instructional intervention Positive reinforcement  Negative reinforcement Supportive intervention   Sticking to a routine Encouraging the child’s special interest Issuing rewards for positive behavior  Using visual schedules Click here for the full article...