My ASD Child

“We are a Hispanic family who moved to the U.S. three years ago. I have a 16 y.o. son with Asperger syndrome (high functioning) who also has a learning disability. He’s failing miserably on multiple levels. I don’t believe the school is making much of an effort to take his disorder into account. Would my son be eligible for special Ed. Class? Also, what are his rights as a student with a learning disability?” Your Asperger’s (high functioning autism) son has the right to a free and appropriate public school education. Getting involved in his education is among the most important things you can do as his advocate. In order to make sure that your learning disabled son gets the help he needs throughout his school career, you should familiarize yourself with the rights you have as his advocate. These rights are federally mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA): 1. All tests and interviews must be conducted in your son’s native language. An evaluation

“Would you have any tips to help my little girl (age 5) with Asperger’s (high functioning) to be more coordinated with her hands? She has a lot of problems with rather simple tasks like tying shoes, writing, and zipping up her jacket.” Kids with Asperger’s and High-Functioning Autism often struggle to learn - and remember - new motor skills. Those who have motor-planning difficulties often benefit from “hand-over-hand” teaching techniques (i.e., the parent holds the child's hand and guides it to approximate the movement required to complete the task). They learn best when they can feel the movements involved. The hand-over-hand technique can be used to teach numerous tasks requiring eye-hand coordination, such as how to draw, cut with scissors, tie shoe laces, and spread peanut butter with a knife. Kids who can tolerate hand-over-hand physical contact can be taught how to perform certain tasks as the parent places her hand around the youngster’s fingers to perform the req

“Is it fairly common for teenagers with an autism spectrum disorder to be antisocial? Do you think that our son could benefit from social skills training? He is very shy, keeps to himself most of the time, and has no friends (other than a cousin, who he rarely sees). We also believe he is depressed.” A teenager with Asperger’s (AS) or High-Functioning Autism (HFA) who lacks certain social skills will have great difficulty building a network of supportive friends and acquaintances as he grows older – and he may become socially isolated as a result. Unfortunately, one of the consequences of loneliness is an increased risk of developing emotional problems. Social skills training (SST) has been shown to be effective in treating “special needs” teens with a broad range of emotional issues. Some of the issues treated by SST professionals include shyness, adjustment disorders, anxiety disorders, ADHD, OCD, social phobia and depression. In addition, SST programs are effective in