My ASD Child

Throughout this article, Jim Dilmon, a young man with Aspergers (AS) shares with us his experiences taking physical education in a generalized education setting. Jim, who is now 25 years old, attended a large public high school in New York. He recently graduated from college and is a teacher in a public school. I was diagnosed with Aspergers when I was 9 years old. Since that time, I have received many educational and social interventions. My experiences have been numerous, some good and some bad. School was tough at times, especially when social interactions came into play. One of the toughest areas for me was physical education. Here, I was bullied, ridiculed, and forced to face up to some of my biggest fears. My experiences in physical education (PE) were mostly negative. The negativity relates to the fact that most tasks in PE were difficult for me; and when I attempted them, my educators were unsupportive and my peers made fun of me. Things were made even more difficul...

When they look at disabilities, some schools expect the student to be in a wheelchair or intellectually disabled. They seem not to understand a student who is a wiz at math, computers, etc., but is socially somewhat “weird.” The first reaction is that it has something to do with the parents, and that they obviously haven't raised the youngster properly. After an Aspergers (high functioning autism) child has been diagnosed at the clinic, I will go to the school and meet with school officials. I explain to the teachers (a) what Aspergers is, (b) how the student expresses the Aspergers symptoms, (c) their abilities, and (d) some of the do's and don'ts. For example: He is very honest, and many of the children with Aspergers will tell you your mistakes. So when he stands up in front of the class and says, "You've missed a comma there," he's not being rude or disruptive. Just because he's not looking, is not to say he's not listening. Sarcasm ...

Do girls with Aspergers experience the same symptoms as boys? The male to female ratio for referrals for a diagnostic assessment is about 10 males to each 1 female. However, the epidemiological evidence indicates the ratio is 4:1. This is the same ratio as occurs with Autism. So far there have not been any studies that specifically investigate any variation in expression of features between males and females with Aspergers, but males tend to have a greater expression of social deficits with a very uneven profile of social skills and a propensity for disruptive or aggressive behavior, especially when frustrated or stressed. These characteristics are more likely to be noticed by moms/dads and educators who then seek advice as to why the youngster is unusual. In contrast, females tend to be relatively more able in social play and have a more even profile of social skills. Females with Aspergers seem more able to follow social actions by delayed imitation. They observe the ot...

Aspergers Behavior— Aspergers behavior has many faces and especially its variability makes it impossible to describe a stereotype Aspergers youngster or grown-up. This stereotype does not exist. Individuals with Aspergers are all different and all individuals so their behavior may differ too. Society today judges someone mostly on how they look, behave and communicate. An individual with Aspergers does not look different from others but does show different behavior and communication. The Aspergers behavior might strike us as odd. They appear to be insensitive towards other people’s feelings and unable to read between the lines. They don’t seem to be willing in sharing experiences or interests with individuals close to them. This is even present in young kids. They don’t pick up on non verbal communication and they lack a sense of what is socially appropriate to do. They avoid eye contact and mostly don’t like to be touched. This may all seem like the unwillingness...

Teaching Social Skills and Emotion Management

Teens with Aspergers and High Functioning Autism may be prone to anger, which can be made worse by difficulty in communicating feelings of disturbance, anxiety or distress. In this post, we will look at:   Common causes of anger in Aspergers and HFA teens Steps to successful self-management of anger  The “Stop – Think” technique   Coping with extreme anger Steps in a personal safety plan   Click here for full article...