My ASD Child

We continue our series on Teaching Strategies for Students with Asperger’s and High Functioning Autism: Environmental Noise— In creating the right environment, one problem to be considered is that of sounds. Think of the example of nails scratching on a chalk board. Just imagining it can send a chill down your spine. To a youngster with Asperger’s (AS) or High-Functioning Autism (HFA), every day sounds can have a similar affect. Thus, teachers should take an inventory to determine sounds difficult for the AS or HFA student to listen to. Also, teachers may want to consider allowing the student to listen to soft music with headsets during class times when there is excessive noise. Earplugs are another option as well. Transitions— Minimizing the stress AS and HFA students face is critical to education, and minimizing transitions and insuring the environment is predictable may be one of the best ways to reduce stress. Frequent changes in routines make it difficult for the

"How can I help my daughter with autism (high functioning) to deal with her anxiety in ways other than simply hiding in her room all evening and on weekends?" Anxiety is a common problem in children with Asperger’s (AS) and High-Functioning Autism (HFA). In fact, in some cases fear is their main emotion. One study revealed that 84.1% of kids on the autism spectrum met the full criteria of at least one anxiety disorder (i.e., phobia, panic disorder, separation anxiety disorder, avoidant disorder, overanxious disorder, and obsessive compulsive disorder). This does not necessarily go away as the youngster grows up. Many teens and young adults with AS and HFA report intense feelings of anxiety that may reach a level where treatment is required. For some children, it is the treatment of their anxiety disorder that leads to a diagnosis of AS or HFA. Children with AS and HFA are particularly prone to anxiety as a consequence of the social demands made on them. Any social

  Do you need some assistance in parenting your Aspergers or HFA child? Click here to use Mark Hutten, M.A. as your personal parent coach. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dr. Hutten, I just wanted to let you know there are very few places here in WV that help with children that have Aspergers, and every time I see a parent that are having the same struggles that we have with our daughter, I tell them to look you up on Facebook and You Tube, you have been so helpful to my family.  Now, it seems that our biggest challenge is the education system.  Teachers here seem to have the , “don’t tell me what to do, I am the teacher”.  It makes everything so stressful.  We had to hire and advocate and had to fight for two years to finally obtain her IEP.  Emily is not in the 4 th grade and we are fear of what middle school will be like for her.  Again, thanks for all the uplifting words and I am thankful I found your site.  God bless you and keep up the amazing work!!!! Joy ~~~~~~