My ASD Child

“Why does it seem to be the case that many (if not most) children with ASD also suffer from a significant degree of anxiety?” Kids with High-Functioning Autism (HFA) and Asperger’s (AS) are indeed particularly vulnerable to anxiety. This vulnerability may be an intrinsic feature of the disorder through a breakdown in circuitry related to extinguishing fear responses, a secondary consequence of their inability to make social judgments throughout development, and specific neurotransmitter system defects. Specific reasons for experiencing high degrees of anxiety include the following: 1. Limitations in generalizing from one situation to another contribute to repeating the same social errors. 2. Limitations in their ability to grasp social cues and their highly rigid style act in concert to create repeated social gaffs as well. 3. The lack of empathy severely limits skills for autonomous social-problem solving. 4. The social-skills deficits of HFA and AS make it difficult