My ASD Child

Below you will find the majority of symptoms associated with High-Functioning Autism (HFA), also referred to as Asperger’s. The HFA child will not usually have all of these traits. We will look at the following categories: sensory sensitivities, cognitive issues, motor clumsiness, narrow range of interests, insistence on set routines, impairments in language, and difficulty with reciprocal social interactions. Sensory Sensitivity Checklist— 1. Difficulty in visual areas: Avoids eye contact Displays discomfort/anxiety when looking at certain pictures (e.g., the child feels as if the visual experience is closing in on him) Engages in intense staring Stands too close to objects or people 2. Difficulty in auditory areas: Covers ears when certain sounds are made Displays an inability to focus when surrounded by multiple sounds (e.g., shopping mall, airport, party) Displays extreme fear when unexpected noises occur Fearful of the sounds particular objects make ...

“My 11 y.o. child with high functioning autism is very smart, but still struggles with school assignments. There are homework battles, tantrums and meltdowns every night in our house. What can I do to help?” High-Functioning Autism (HFA) impact the way kids are able to process and understand information. They have a developmental disorder that often creates difficulty with writing, speaking, listening, thinking, spelling, or doing math problems. Many young people on the autism spectrum also have comorbid disorders (e.g., ADHD). Parents and teachers must understand that children on the spectrum need to be taught differently and need some accommodations to enhance the learning environment. Parents can follow the tips below to create a well-rounded learning atmosphere for the successful completion of homework assignments: 1. At the start of the school year: talk with your child’s educator about your role in helping with homework (e.g., some educators want the parent to mon...

==> Discipline for Defiant Aspergers & High-Functioning Autistic Teens

Neurocognitive disorders affect cognitive abilities (e.g., learning, memory, perception, and problem solving). The DSM-5 defines six key domains of cognitive function: social cognition, perceptual-motor function, learning and memory, language, executive function, and complex attention. Mind-blindness, the opposite of empathy, is a cognitive disorder in which the child with Asperger’s (AS) or High-Functioning Autism (HFA) is unable to predict the mental states of others (i.e., their thoughts, beliefs, emotions, desires, behaviors, intentions, and so on). It’s not necessarily caused by an inability to imagine an answer, but is often due to an inability to gather enough information to decipher which of the many possible answers is correct. This is referred to as an empathetic cognitive deficit. Empathy is usually divided into two major components: (1) cognitive empathy is the ability to understand another's perspective or mental state, and (2) affective empathy is the abil...

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.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ My grandaughter has ashbergers/autism. She is being tested for autism. The last year she has escalated continuously. Very aggressive. Has run away twice. Beats on her parents pulls hair and calls them hurtful names.  Her outbursts are awful. Screaming throwing things breaking things biting parents. Police have come so many things. Some time they take her to hospital then too a behavior place. Nothing is helping or changing.  The house has so much stress and anxiety in it.  Her brother is 14 and has some issues but he has lived with her doing stuff for years. But she is so bad and has threatened to kill them several time and the 14 year old had to go to emergency room with panic attack and anxiety cause she was coming home from hospital.  The cell phone and social media is the demon...

Do you want to avoid trick-or-treat tantrums and meltdowns ? All kids eagerly anticipate Halloween. It is their night out on the town. They may spend hours planning their costumes, mapping out their trick-or-treat routes, and devising new ways to sort and ration their bag of goodies at the end of trick-or-treating. Children with Asperger’s (AS) and High-Functioning Autism (HFA) might see this special day differently. The bright and colorful costumes become too much for the eyes, or the decorative outfits are too itchy or obstruct movement. The smell of candles might be repulsive. The noises and flashing lights at the local “haunted house” go beyond an innocent scare, causing some AS and HFA children actual physical discomfort. Halloween can be fun and exciting, but it can also be very frightening. For example, some AS and HFA children see a clown and think it’s the funniest, greatest thing. Others will look at that clown and think that it’s horrifying. Halloween is the ...

Many kids with HFA want to have friends, but they simply don't know how to go about it. They may not be able to understand others' emotions, or read facial expressions and body language. As a result, they may be teased and often feel like social outcasts. The unwanted social isolation can lead to anxiety and depression. And there's more... ==> Unraveling The Mystery Behind Asperger's and High-Functioning Autism ==> Parenting Children and Teens with High-Functioning Autism COMMENTS: Anonymous said... Good explanation.  Anonymous said... Nice video of some of the simple basics. I would love to see every school do a performance for the children to explain what autism is, isn't. We all know it's there, bring it out and be proud of being you should be the message taught. If you teach pride, ignorance doesn't hurt you as much. Unfortunately, schools I've dealt with state that parents are more opposed to their children becoming targets...