My ASD Child

"We just discovered that our son has ASD [high functioning autism]. I wish we had a summary of the difficulties associated with this disorder so we could know what to expect (and what to work on)." Sure! There are several areas of difficulty associated with ASD Level 1 or High-Functioning Autism that you will need to consider. Here's the summary: Children with ASD display varying difficulties when interacting with others. Some children and adolescents have no desire to interact, while others simply do not know how. More specifically, they do not comprehend the give-and-take nature of social interactions. They may want to lecture you about the Titanic or they may leave the room in the midst of playing with another child. They do not comprehend the verbal and nonverbal cues used to further our understanding in typical social interactions. These include eye contact, facial expressions, body language, conversational turn-taking, perspective taking, and matching...

“If we had to choose only one, what would be the best intervention strategy for our child with HFA?” For most children with High-Functioning Autism (HFA) and Asperger’s (AS), the most important treatment strategy would definitely be to enhance communication and social competence (i.e., social skills training). The goal is not to force the child to “conform to societal pressure” or to stifle individuality and uniqueness. Instead, the goal reflects the fact that most kids on the autism spectrum are not loners by choice.  Also, there is a tendency (as these kids develop towards the teenage years) for anxiety, depression, despondency, and negativism as a result of the child’s increasing awareness of personal inadequacy in social situations, and repeated experiences of failure to make and maintain relationships. The typical limitations of insight and self-reflection found in kids on the spectrum often prevent spontaneous self-adjustment to social and interpersonal dema...

“We are wanting to get our child (high functioning) into some form of therapy. What things should we look for so we can find the best fit for her specific needs?” The following are positive program specifications to be kept in mind when deciding on an appropriate program for children with High-Functioning Autism (HFA). These may not be applicable to every child; however, they are optimal conditions to keep in mind when dealing with program specifications. Ideally, the program will include the following: 1.  Opportunities for social interaction and facilitation of social relationships in fairly structured and supervised activities. 2.  Relatively small setting with ample opportunity for individual attention, individualized approach, and small work groups. 3.  The availability of a communication specialist with a specific interest in pragmatics and social skills training who can (a) be available for individual and small group work, and (b) make a commu...

The best treatment for Asperger's and high-functioning autistic children and teens is definitely “social skills training.” Social skills training is a form of behavior therapy used by therapists to help these "special needs" young people who have difficulties relating to other people. But, parents can teach social skills as well. It's especially easy to do so with the help of social skills DVDs and CDs. Here are our top 12 picks: