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5 Tips for Raising a Child with Asperger's Syndrome

Parenthood looks a little different when you’re raising a child with Asperger’s Syndrome. So much more than some label, Asperger’s Syndrome colors how a child sees and experiences the world. For these children, nothing is obvious or to be taken for granted. And it’s up to parents to be sensitive and mindful of these unique challenges.

Asperger’s Syndrome changes what it means to be a parent. This condition forces parents to accept that they’re preparing their child for a world that may not always understand them. The good news is that many with Asperger’s Syndrome do go on to lead fulfilling lives.

Asperger’s Syndrome is often dismissed as high-functioning autism. This dismisses the uniqueness of the condition. In 1994, Asperger’s Syndrome was officially added to the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder. This was the first time there was an official acknowledgement that Asperger’s Syndrome is its own condition separate from autism.

However, this all changed in 2013 when much to the dismay of many with Asperger’s Syndrome, the DSM-5 decided to redefine autism, Asperger’s Syndrome and other developmental disorders with the blanket diagnosis autism spectrum disorder. This makes collecting accurate data about Asperger’s Syndrome difficult as the condition is sometimes diagnosed as autism or autism spectrum disorder but other times as Asperger’s Syndrome.

It isn’t always easy to diagnose Asperger’s Syndrome largely due to a lack of standardized screening. While the condition is often identified in childhood, many only receive a diagnosis as adults. Often the condition is diagnosed in adults looking for treatment for other health issues like depression and obsessive compulsive disorder. With early intervention and the correct behavioral management strategies, most people with Asperger’s Syndrome go on to lead independent lives. Many do manage to adapt to the challenges of daily life, find employment, and even enjoy fulfilling relationships.

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Children with Asperger’s Syndrome often don’t have the same developmental delays or difficulties as those with autism. This is why children with the condition are considered to have high-functioning autism. What’s interesting about children with Asperger’s Syndrome is that they tend to have a high IQ and can learn new things with ease. They also often have good language skills unlike people with autism.

Parenting is one of the toughest jobs in the world, and perhaps the only one that comes without a guidebook or well-documented protocol. Parenting a child with Asperger’s Syndrome is doubly challenging, and while we don’t claim to have all the answers these tips may come in handy. At the very least, our hope is that these tips will give you the peace of mind to know that you’re doing everything you can to raise a happy and well-adjusted child.

Children with Asperger’s Syndrome find social interaction particularly challenging because they’re often unable to understand the subtleties of body language and tone of voice. More often than not, these children will misread these situations, appearing awkward and even socially inappropriate.

It’s important to teach children to correctly identify social cues and body language. In addition, these children need to spend time practicing the social norms that govern social interaction. This includes maintaining an appropriate social distance and making eye contact. It’s also important to work on understanding nonliteral language as this makes up a large part of daily interaction, and is something people with Asperger’s find especially challenging.

Teach your child a few conversation starters to help them interact with others. This can include things like What is your name? or Can I sit with you?

Problem solving skills can help a child better understand social norms and how to react in difficult social situations. A large part of enhancing a child’s problem solving skills involves helping them to correctly identify what’s wrong in different situations. This is a good way to teach your child about cause and effect and the power that actions can have in the world.

Parents should keep in mind that while there isn’t only one way to solve a problem, this is a skill that children with Asperger’s Syndrome need to practice as often as possible. By incorporating problem solving as part of your child’s daily life, your child will develop the confidence to respond calmly when they have to problem solve in real life.

Read your child a simple story and ask them to identify the problem. Have a discussion about the different ways to solve the problem and what the most effective approach would be.

It’s important to help your child develop different strategies for coping emotionally. Self-awareness is an important part of managing emotions effectively. You can start by teaching children to correctly identify their feelings and emotions when in different situations. It’s also important to make sure your child knows how to manage these emotions so that anxiety and stress doesn’t trigger a meltdown.

Show your child a picture and ask them to identify what it makes them feel. Once they’ve identified the emotion, ask them what other situations in their life make them feel this way.

One of the best ways to help your child understand what appropriate behavior is, is to avoid criticism. Instead, find something positive to reward and praise your child for. This could be something as simple as the way your child is playing with their toys. The behavior you reward is what your child is most likely to repeat.

Challenge yourself to notice your child’s positive behavior and reward them for it. Perhaps they made eye contact during an interaction or didn’t shout. Draw your child’s attention to what they’re doing right.

Not unlike children with autism, those with Asperger’s Syndrome thrive on routine, structure and predictability. It’s up to parents to help their children develop a routine that remains unchanged from day to day. It’s a good idea to actively involve your child when deciding on the daily routine so that they feel part of the process. Be sure to factor in downtime and activities that will help your child manage transitions.

Some children respond well to seeing a written schedule. You may even want to create a daily chart which clearly outlines the day’s activities so your child knows what to expect. This makes it easier to stick to the routine and may even make it easier to plan for the unexpected.

It takes patience and understanding to raise a happy and well-adjusted child with Asperger’s Syndrome. It also requires the acceptance that no two children are alike. Your child’s condition does not define who they are. What parenting tips did you find most effective when raising your special child? Share your thoughts and suggestions in the comments below.

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Michael John Carley on how to raise a child with Asperger's Syndrome

10/21/12

Executive Director of GRASP, the largest organization that brings together people on the autism spectrum. He was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome in 2000, at the same time as his four-year-old son.
Translation: Elizaveta Morozova
Source: Graspfiles.org

The best definition of Asperger's Syndrome (AS) I've ever heard came from a five year old boy. When Dylan Braxton Hamilton had his annual check-up with the doctor, the doctor joked about little Dylan having Asperger's (they had a good enough relationship for that). "I don't even know what's wrong with you! the doctor said. “You just have too many wires!” "No doctor," Dylan replied. “My problem is that my wires have poor insulation. ” nine0003

GRASP (The Global and Regional Asperger Syndrome Partnership) is the largest organization that brings together people with Asperger's syndrome. The main goal of GRASP is to improve the lives of children and adolescents with autism and Asperger's Syndrome. GRASP conducts workshops and presentations to the public, offers special school programs to help pupils and students with autism learn communication skills and believe in themselves. GRASP has established a network of regional support groups in the US and Canada. In addition, GRASP's chief executive and half of the board of directors are people with autism spectrum disorders. nine0003

Painful experiences are part of life, whether or not we are on the autism spectrum. However, we on the spectrum are likely to experience them much more frequently. We perceive other people's signals incorrectly, we give signals that are perceived incorrectly. Before we became adults, we were yelled at countless times for no reason. And with each new oversight, our discomfort grows, we begin to wonder what other false interpretation is waiting for us around the corner. We know that the ill-fated banana peel is somewhere, we just do not know at what specific moment we will slip on it, and how hard the fall will be this time. nine0003

When we were children, deep down we knew very well that our relationships with peers were different from those of other children. Many of us have dealt with this problem by holding on to the adults in our lives, grabbing them like lifelines, and therefore needing their approval more and more. In short, children on the spectrum very often have an obsessive desire to please everyone. This can be both a blessing and a curse. To use the analogy of a half-full and half-empty glass, "wants to please" has a different interpretation - "absolutely cannot stand rejection", which will become another source of pain. nine0003

One of the keys to our success as adults on the spectrum is to reduce our response to criticism, ridicule and injustice, as opposed to simply emphasizing criticism, ridicule and injustice. ..and so on. And as much as I like to talk about the fact that the rest of the world must change, but, as they say, the change must begin within us. We must learn not to react to such things, because before that we were too thin-skinned.

It is very likely that the person with Asperger's was brought up in a more or less protected environment, with parents and loved ones who felt that we were at increased risk - physical, mental and emotional. Out of love and sincere concern, they surrounded us with protective walls that we really needed. Unfortunately, those parents who did the best job of protecting us as children are often the ones who hinder our development of self-sufficiency and independence and never let us go so that we can go beyond our abilities. nine0003

In our society, we are taught to perceive any failure as something extremely negative. And at the same time, failure is something that a person on the spectrum must experience very often in order to mature and become a well-functioning person. We are so often afraid of failure that we “forget” that no one succeeds the first time. To succeed, we must repeatedly do "it" wrong. No one stays at their first job - be it a neurotypical or a spectromite - and certainly no one will be a good lover on their first time, right? We can only improve results if we keep trying, through practice and perseverance. And our success depends on a healthy view of the good and bad aspects of our efforts, which in our case means more and more indifference to other people's criticism. nine0003

Neurotypical people (neurotypicals) is a term that was coined by the autism community to refer to people who do not have autism. The National Autism Society of Great Britain recommends that the term be used in the media.

And as we forge our adult lives, we need to feel braver than anyone else. And as hard as it is for me to say, we need to get tougher.

In our past, when people tried to "harden" us, it resulted in insult at best and permanent injury at worst. It seems to me that the problem is not so much with this goal, but with how it is usually implemented. The whole point is that we receive instructions rather than criticism. nine0003

I grew up in the 70s when no one knew I had Asperger's and got the most out of two very different worlds. After spending a few years in an absolutely terrible (for me) institution, I started going to a school run by very progressive guys - some might call them hippies. They didn't hurt me in the name of the proverbial character building. And on the home front, I had the legacy of a father who was a pilot in the Navy, which helped me not to whine and develop self-sufficiency and responsibility. Obviously, these two worlds were often at odds with each other, but they also emphasized the importance of being responsible for each other. nine0003

Are there any effective methods to make your skin insensitive to the miserable attacks of the world (or help the person of the spectrum you love to do this)? There are many ways, you just need to get creative.

1. Travel, train and travel again.

The benefits of travel are many and varied, but often people underestimate the most amazing aspect of travel - starting with a clean slate! Whether it's a vacation or moving to a new city, it's an opportunity to reinvent yourself, to try new things, because no one here knows about your past mistakes. Every time you travel, you start from scratch, from a fresh start. In unfamiliar surroundings, you can acquire strength that will manifest itself in all other areas of your life. nine0003

2. If you are a parent or teacher, teach your child realistic things.

Make sure your child's curriculum is functional and meets the practical requirements of real life. This is a very common mistake of neurotypical adults - they think that an autistic person's unrealistic perception of the world is due only to his diagnosis. No matter how. The clinical world is feeding our children inadequate behavioral strategies. For example:

- Most social skills courses are great at teaching specific skills, such as "how to shake hands with your neighbor," but they fail (if they ever aim to do so) in explaining the meaning of certain social actions. Hopefully this will change soon as adult social skills courses are being developed, but for now, take note. nine0003

- In his lectures on sexuality, GRASP board member and president of the Organization for Autism Research, Dr. Peter Gerhardt, often quotes from a lawsuit he was involved in. A young autistic man walked around the store asking women, "Can I touch your breasts?" and "Can I touch your vagina?" This young man, now facing serious allegations of sexual harassment, was simply doing what he was taught in his sex education classes - if he wants to touch someone, he needs to ask about it. Even if he is acquitted, one can only imagine what it will do to his self-confidence and self-esteem... and all because no one has taught him social skills applicable in real life. nine0003

Peter Gerhardt PhD, Director of Education at New York's McCarton School, an intensive educational program for children, teens and young adults with autism. He has authored and co-authored numerous articles and book chapters addressing the needs of people with autism spectrum disorders.

3. Teach your children to pretend everything is okay.

A man once said to me, "Pretend you're right here." He wanted to insult me, but I took it as a constructive suggestion. And it worked! This is the perfect phrase to remind myself what to do when I feel on a different organic level than everyone around me. nine0003

4. Talk about the good, the bad, and the terrible.

Explain petty nagging and what contempt looks like. Teach that it's okay if someone doesn't like you, or if someone doesn't share your views. You may find that with this newfound freedom, you or your child will have trouble respecting authority, which may require further behavior modification. Accept the consequences, because in the long run it is much better than teaching a child to interact with the world around him as if he were surrounded by his own personal jailers. nine0003

5. Make "So what" part of your everyday vocabulary.

Encourage the person on the spectrum to say "well" and "what" together. It will seem a little strange at first, especially for older children and adults. He/she may think that you are offering some cheap self-help trick, but try again. You may find that the reason for your discomfort is that you say this phrase too rarely, that you do not feel entitled to say so. In the course of time, I hope (and I hope you do) that giving up the obligation to please everyone in this way will bring about extraordinary liberation for the individual. nine0003

Albert Einstein himself, the top prize among would-be celebrities on the spectrum, said something along these lines. In his diaries, which were discovered in 2004, he quoted his conversation with Miss Fantova (a former mistress) about his contemporary Robert Oppenheimer. Einstein was upset that his friend took his critics so seriously and said, “Oppenheimer is not a gypsy like me. I have skin like an elephant since birth, no one can offend me. Criticism flows off me like water off a duck's back. nine0003

Albert Einstein - Some believe that Albert Einstein had Asperger's Syndrome. Einstein spoke late, was a lonely child, often threw tantrums, silently repeated previously spoken sentences, was distinguished by high intelligence and a pronounced interest in one topic - stereotypical symptoms for a person with this syndrome.

It has been many years since Dylan explained his Asperger syndrome to his family doctor. Now he is about to become a man, and I sincerely hope that all this time he has been improving the insulation of his amazing wires. nine0003

Parenting with Autism, POV, Asperger's Syndrome

How not to give up when your child has Asperger's Syndrome

The mother of a special child wrote a book that shares her experience and gives practical advice to other parents

"When I sat in your tummy, you had two hearts: one loved me, the second worked for me, ”a boy with Asperger’s Syndrome once said to his mother. This mother's name is Ekaterina Ivitskaya. She is a programmer by profession, but she became a real teacher for her son and wrote a book about it to inspire other parents to fight for their children. nine0089