Asperger's Syndrome
Asperger's Syndrome, according to DSM-IV, is one
of the Pervasive Developmental Disorders. PDD's are patterns of atypical
development in children that result in significant differences in functioning
which often cause problems in adaptive daily behavior. Asperger's Syndrome
is different from Autism in that the individual typically shows ordinary
intellectual development and adequate language functioning. However,
individuals with Asperger's show severe difficulties in the areas of social
understanding and functioning.
These people typically have a lot of
trouble noticing and responding appropriately to ordinary social cues.
This means that they overlook or misunderstand vital information such as that
transmitted through changes in facial expression, voice tone and body posture.
As a result, from an early age these children have trouble interacting with both
other children and adults.
A striking hallmark of individuals with
Asperger's is that they often have extremely focused and usually sharply limited
areas of interest. In these areas, the person tends to accumulate a great
deal of information, often including minute details, facts and figures.
For example, a child with Asperger's might be focused on automobiles, being able
to recognize and name an extraordinary number of makes and models of vehicles.
Another child might demonstrate this focus on dinosaurs or insects, cataloging
and repeating facts with encyclopedic breadth and detail. Unfortunately,
this focus of cognitive energy often prevents them from developing a range of
interests that is necessary for more adaptive functioning. Additionally,
the excessive cognitive focus tends to drive the person with Asperger's to talk
almost exclusively about their particular area of interest even when others
around them directly express no interest in the topic.
Common behavior problems associated with Asperger's have to
do primarily with cognitive rigidity and excessive reaction to ordinary
frustrations. Because these children share some features with other
autistic spectrum disorders they tend to have difficulty dealing with changes in
their environment and routines. When they are required to change
activities or to stop a preferred activity they often react with resistance
tantrums and sometimes verbal or physical aggression. Children with
Asperger's also tend to run into problems working and playing with others.
Their low frustration tolerance and peculiar behaviors may put them at risk for
teasing and bullying, while their poor social comprehension increases the chance
that they will be manipulated and taken advantage of by others. At this
time there is no cure for Aspergers or the other autism spectrum disorders.
However, many of the most troublesome behaviors associated with the disorder can
be reduced or eliminated through careful intervention.
What to do about the symptoms of Asperger's
Syndrome:
Provide these individuals with a reasonable level of structure at home and
school, but do not allow their rigid habits to dictate the schedules and
activities of those around them.
Avoid the temptation to invest a great
deal of energy preventing their outbursts in response to upset. Instead,
use simple rewards and restriction consequences to help the child improve his or
her adaptive responses to frustration.
Be
sure to signal transitions using verbal, visual and physical cues.
For
example, you can use a picture board to represent the activities of the day,
with a specific frame or pointer to indicate the present activity and later
activities portrayed to the side of the current activity. Signal the child
verbally as you move the frame or pointer closer to the next activity. It
is often helpful to use gentle physical pressure to move the child from his
current position to the next one, although some children react too strongly to
direct physical touch.
Work
closely with all adults responsible for the person's care and education to
coordinate interventions.
Since these individuals typically require intensive
repetition to learn new behaviors it is important for everyone to have at least
a general idea of the specific skills to be focused on and the training methods
being used with him or her. Aim for maximal inclusion in the regular
classroom, although it will likely be necessary to be able to quickly move the
child to the more supportive and structured classroom if she/he becomes
overwhelmed and begins acting out excessively.
Focus on helping the person learn to recognize and respond to
age-appropriate social cues.
Emphasize turn-taking in conversation and
role-playing simple interactions, such as asking to join in groups, asking
questions related to current topics of conversation and recognizing non-verbal
indicators of emotion.
(See Social Skills Breakthrough for more
detailed discussion of ways to facilitate social skills.)
For older children (junior high and above) and
adults, emphasize practical vocational
training and experience.
Take
advantage of all opportunities for work experiences available through the school
system.Also, seek out
opportunities for the teen to shadow or spend several hours to a day following a
friend or relative who works in a field that is of interest to the
learner.
Copyright 2004-2010 by Edward
L. Coyle, Ph.D./
PsychPsyte.Com.
All rights reserved.May be
reproduced only for personal use and may not be distributed without written
permission under penalty of law.