Aggression in Aspergers Teens

Adolescents with Aspergers (high-functioning autism) are often not found to be physically aggressive unless they feel threatened in some manner. For some kids with Aspergers, aggression may become quite common when reaching adolescence, and this may be clearly influenced by the parenting styles of the youngster's mother and/or father. 

 

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School-related Anxiety in ASD Children

"My 15 year old son has just had a meltdown over exams at school today and I'm at home with him - afraid to leave him alone and go to work in case he does something silly to himself. When he loses control, he bashes walls, rants, raves and finally curls up and hides somewhere (what I consider to be the danger period where he beats up on himself). He’s a very intelligent boy …places extreme expectations on himself. I try my best to reason, but with little success."

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Anger and Violence in ASD Children

"Is anger and violent behavior usually a part of the AS condition? I'm currently waiting for an evaluation and diagnosis for my 5 yr old – AS is suspected."

 

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What is a “social story” and how is it used?

Question

What is a “social story” and how is it used?

Answer

A social story describes a situation, skill, or concept in terms of relevant social cues, perspectives, and common responses in a specifically defined style and format. The goal of a social story is to share accurate social information in a reassuring manner that is easily understood by its audience. Half of all social stories developed should affirm something that an individual does well. 

Although the goal of a story should never be to change the youngster’s behavior, that youngster’s improved understanding of events and expectations may lead to more effective responses. Although social stories were first developed for use with kids with Aspergers (high-functioning autism), the approach has also been successful with adolescents and adults with other social and communication delays and differences – as well as individuals developing normally.

Sample Social Story—

Frequently, kids with Aspergers expect things to be the same way that they first saw them. Such was the case with Jimmy, who expected to find the overhead projector in the classroom bathroom--just as it had been the first time he went there! He refused to use the bathroom unless the projector was in there, causing problems when the teacher was in the middle of a lesson using the projector in the classroom. Further complicating the issue was his insistence that the projector was needed to keep the bathroom free of bugs. Jimmy’s mother wrote the following story for him:

My name is Jimmy. I am an intelligent second grader at Cottonwood Elementary School. Sometimes, I have to use the bathroom. This is okay.

Bathrooms need to have a toilet or urinal, and maybe sinks. Sometimes, when people need to find a place to keep something until they need it, they might place it in the bathroom. My teacher keeps her overhead projector in the bathroom when she is not using it to make more room in the classroom. It's okay to store an overhead projector in the bathroom, but usually most bathrooms do not have overhead projectors in them.

Sometimes, my teacher uses the overhead projector to teach the kids. If she were to bring all the kids into the bathroom where the overhead projector is, it would be too crowded! So my teacher brings the overhead projector into the classroom to use it.

It's okay to use our bathroom with the overhead projector in it. It's also very okay and intelligent to use our bathroom when my teacher is using the overhead projector with the class.

The custodians work very hard to keep our bathrooms clean. They use disinfectant to keep everything nice for the kids. If the custodians notice bugs, like spiders, they might use bug spray. Bug spray, and other things that custodians have, are used to keep bathrooms free of spiders and things. People never use overhead projectors to keep an area free of spiders; it just would not work. If I should ever see a bug in the bathroom, it's okay to tell an adult. The adult may know how to use a tissue or toilet paper to get rid of the bug, or we may choose to use another bathroom.

Our Aspergers kids may need similar social stories for a wide variety of situations. Simply changing the topic and adapting the vocabulary and situation to accommodate your youngster's concerns will help to produce a social story that helps him to deal with a necessary change from his expectations.

My Aspergers Child: Preventing Meltdowns

How can you help transition an ASD child into adolescence?

Adolescence can be a very confusing and difficult time for kids with Aspergers and High Functioning Autism. The teenage years are complicated for all of us, especially for families who are unprepared for this time period. You are very wise to plan ahead for your family’s journey into adolescence. While planning ahead may not make the situation unfold painlessly, it will improve your chances for a smooth transition.

For kids with Aspergers, adolescence transition means much more than it does for typically developing kids. Areas of concern include:

• Appropriate knowledge of dating and sexuality
• Developing a healthy self-image
• Education issues like special considerations and allowances due to specific weakness and strengths
• Participation in all treatment options like classes, groups, therapy sessions, medications, etc.
• Social skills like communication, personal space, basic personal hygiene, etc.

It is especially important that you plan for all the issues that affect your youngster with Aspergers during the teen years. There are several treatment options that you can investigate. However, the family environment can be extremely effective with or without additional outside therapies. Here are some treatments you may choose to examine:

• Social-skills training for non-verbal communication, social cues and gestures, etc.
• Cognitive-behavioral therapy for dealing with the feeling, emotion, and behavior connections
• Individual psychological counseling for talking through issues and making plans
• Career counseling to find the right career path for your youngster’s strengths and personality
• Medication to help with depression, anxiety, and/or hyperactivity

As another option for your youngster with Aspergers, adolescence transition can be handled by caring parents in the home environment. Here are a few suggestions:

• College and career planning: choosing a career, planning for college, trade school, technical school, etc.
• Daily living skills: personal hygiene, home management, money skills, etc.
• Organizational skills
• Time management
• Sex education: dating and sexuality knowledge
• Social development: making and keeping friends, keeping a job, etc.

For kids with Aspergers, the teenage years do not have to be especially difficult. Using a published guide, you can cover all of these transition areas and more.

==> Parenting System that Significantly Reduces Defiant Behavior in Teens with Aspergers and High-Functioning Autism