My ASD Child

Question My son only wants specific foods. How do I ensure a healthy diet for him? Answer Youngsters with Aspergers commonly have difficulty when it comes to eating a variety of foods. Textures and smells play a part due to the sensory issues they experience. In addition, having too many choices goes against what is comfortable for these children. Finding a balance will take work and special accommodation. Children with Aspergers have sensory issues that may prevent him from registering the feelings of hunger. Therefore, you can’t rely on your child’s hunger to motivate him to eat. Eliminating the foods he loves will create a true battle. When you begin your attempts to alter your child’s diet, do so quietly. The less fuss, the less likely it will become a bigger deal than it already is. And keep trying. Success may come slowly, but the ultimate goal is improving your child’s diet. Every little victory will bring you one step closer to the desired result....

"My son is very aggressive and lacks any type of impulse control. He cannot be left alone with his siblings. Does anyone have any recommendations? I know he does not want to do these things, because when we talk about it he says he loves his sister, etc, but he hurts her all the time. My poor daughter has to put up with his aggressions on a daily basis. I can't watch him every second he's awake. I also can't put either child in a protective bubble or send my son to his room and leave him there all day. I really don't know what to do with him and I'm not a big advocate of drug therapy. He's so young and I don't want to change his personality, only his behavior. Will this end soon? Will he gain control at 6, 7, or 8? I love my little boy, but I'm sad that he's so physical. He's starting to internalize his behavior and now said to me this morning that he's a bad boy even though no one tells him that, not us, or his teacher. I...

Preoccupation Unusual in Intensity or Focus Many kids with Aspergers Syndrome have a preoccupation that is unusual in intensity or focus. They may talk relentlessly about their particular area of fascination, completely unaware of their listener’s fading interest. According to Tony Attwood, "The most popular special interests of boys with Aspergers Syndrome are types of transport, specialist areas of science and electronics, particularly computers." Females with Aspergers Syndrome can be interested in the same topics but clinical experience suggests their special interest can be animals and classic literature. Other common areas of interest are schedules and statistical information, as described in the following examples. Danny went through phases of being intensely preoccupied with different odd interests. One of his first preoccupations was peoples’ birthdays. In fact, the first question he would ask upon being introduced to someone was the date of his or her ...

Inappropriate Questions/Comments— The uttering of inappropriate comments or questions can be a serious problem. Sometimes the remarks are inappropriate to the setting. Sometimes the comments are sexually inappropriate. In any case, the remarks or questions do not take into account the impact on the other individual involved. For example, Conner was attending a funeral. Oblivious to the impact his question would have on the grieving friends and relatives, he wondered out loud about the process of bodies decomposing. In another example, Mike found himself attracted to a young woman and proceeded to stare at her. When she asked him what he wanted, he told her in sexually explicit details what he was staring at and the specific nature of his interest. Lack of Symbolic Play— For most kids, play is a crucial area of communication and development. Kids with Aspergers Syndrome generally display problems with imaginative or symbolic play. In autism, there is sometimes a lack of sy...

1. Difficulty Using Non-Verbal Behaviors in Social Interaction— There are several broad categories of difficulties falling under the general heading of impairment in social interaction. First of all, people with Aspergers Syndrome have difficulty using non-verbal behaviors in social interaction. Eye contact may be impaired, meaning that the youngster may not look at others upon greeting or during conversations and may not respond when others try to catch his/her eye. It is easy to see why others might inaccurately perceive the youngster to be rude or not paying attention. Social smiling may be impaired. In this case, people with Aspergers Syndrome may not smile back at someone smiling at them, may not smile during greeting or may not smile in response to something someone else said. Facial expressions used to communicate may be odd. Sometimes the expressions are limited or flat, sometimes they are inappropriate and at other times are exaggerated. Again, it is ...