Asperger's Syndrome

Asperger’s Syndrome (AS)

Characteristics	• Social Interactions- Individuals with AS demonstrate a lack of empathy. This means that they do not have the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. They may struggle to develop friendships due to the fact that during interactions, they have impaired nonverbal behaviors (eye contact, facial expressions, gestures, etc.). • Restricted and Repetitive Interests/Behaviors- Individuals with AS may collect volumes of detailed information on a narrow topic. This information that they gather may have no real tie to any interest that they actually have. They may also demonstrate some repetitive motor behaviors. Some of these can include hand movements (flapping or twisting) and whole-body movements. • Speech and Language- Individuals with AS may demonstrate speech that is unusually fast, jerky, or loud. The speech can also convey a sense of incoherence. Children with AS may have a very advanced vocabulary, but they often have trouble understanding figurative language. They also have weaknesses understanding humor, teasing, or irony.
Misconceptions	There are several misconceptions about AS that exist. First, some people assume that individuals with AS prefer to be isolated or alone. This is not the case, however. While interactions may be difficult, they are necessary for development. Next, children with AS are thought to be rebellious from a behavior standpoint. This misconception is especially true for individuals during the teenage years. They may talk out of turn within the classroom because they lack the understanding of the social norms. Finally, some people assume that people with AS have the tendency to be angry and violent. Due to the fact that they struggle with social interactions, they typically are reserved. Individuals with AS also do not display many emotions. They may come off as “moody” or irritable, but this is not actually the case.
Accommodations	Strict Routines- Students with AS can struggle with managing their environment. This can lead to a lot of stress and anxiety. To help them manage, educators should establish and teach students routines for all activities that occur consistently in the classroom or school. They need to be taught things like: how to ask questions, where to turn things in, and how to line up. Preparing for Change- Students with AS are always expecting to follow the same sort of schedule each day. They are comfortable with sticking to routines that are familiar and repetitive. For this reason, it is important to prepare a student for any changes that might occur within the classroom. A teacher should have a discussion with the student about the upcoming change. This discussion could take place with accompanied visual aids or a detailed story of why the change is happening. Building in Time to Regroup- Throughout the school year, there are bound to be times when a student with AS becomes stressed or overwhelmed. This can even take place at a certain point each day. For this reason, it is important to allow the student to be relieved of the classroom experience. The student may be taken out of the environment altogether or just given some time to relax. Either way, this can do a lot of good from a mental standpoint for the student.
Resources	http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/asperger/detail_asperger.htm http://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/tc/aspergers-syndrome-symptoms http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/aspergers-syndrome/DS00551 http://www.education.com/special-edition/aspergers/
Curricular Modification(s)	In my classroom, there is no student that has AS. However, if there was, there are certain steps that my CT could take to ensure that the student felt comfortable with the curriculum. First, it would be important to set out the schedule for each day. Students with AS are comfortable with routines, so it would prove to be beneficial if a daily schedule was created for viewing purposes. Next, it would be important to allow the student to have time to himself or herself throughout the day. This time would be spent to “regroup” and lower any levels of stress that the child may have. Finally, it would important to still include activities that involve group work. Obviously the student may struggle with interactions, so the activities would have to be monitored, but this would still be very valuable. The student would not need to be isolated or excluded just due to AS.