| Introduction | | | | AS child in a literature class, he can tell you all |
| I am a teacher at a Christian school for children | | | | about what is happening in the story, but may be |
| with special needs. My son Nicholas, who has | | | | hard pressed to explain why the characters are |
| Asperger's Syndrome (AS), is a student at this | | | | acting and reacting the way they are. In your role |
| school. What I offer here are my own views and | | | | as social coach, you can help your AS student by |
| observations of Asperger Syndrome as I have | | | | explaining the reasons behind the behaviors of the |
| dealt with it in my own son and in several of my | | | | characters in a story. |
| students. I do not offer this as medical advice or | | | | Mimicking of behavior |
| as a clinical or scientific study. These are simply | | | | Oddly enough, people with AS can be very good |
| things I have learned through my own research | | | | at role-playing. Many people with AS say they |
| and observation that I hope will be beneficial to | | | | study human behavior and do their best to mimic |
| my readers. | | | | it in order to fit in. As a result, some of them |
| In the classroom | | | | make excellent actors and impressionists. So if |
| Like any child, children with Asperger Syndrome | | | | you have an AS student in your speech class, |
| bring a unique set of problems and benefits to the | | | | don't write them off because they cannot interact |
| classroom. Several key characteristics of the AS | | | | well in normal social situations. Use their |
| child are presented here as they relate to the | | | | memorization skills to their advantage. Beyond |
| classroom setting. | | | | just memorizing the words, help them to |
| Extreme focus | | | | memorize gestures and vocal inflections to bring a |
| Because of their ability to focus in on one area of | | | | role to life. |
| interest, AS children can make good students. | | | | Social behavior |
| Their ability to focus, however, can also be their | | | | The biggest obstacle for people with AS is what |
| weakness. The AS child may, for instance, be | | | | has been described as "social blindness," an |
| expert at history, but will study that subject to | | | | inability, or limited ability, to perceive and respond |
| the detriment of all other subjects. It is up to the | | | | to social situations. This social blindness manifests |
| teacher to help the AS child to broaden his | | | | itself in a number of ways. AS people... |
| interests. It helps if the teacher can find a tie-in | | | | - do not understand personal space and social |
| from the subject of the child's interest to the | | | | distance and may either stand too close to |
| subject at hand. For example, if the student is a | | | | someone or too far away. |
| history buff and you need to get him on board | | | | - talk at people rather than to people because |
| with math, it might help to give him some | | | | they use language primarily as a means of |
| historical information related to math. Introduce | | | | communicating fact. |
| him to some of the greatest mathematical minds | | | | - do not understand the give-and-take of |
| of all time like Pythagoras, or Sir Isaac Newton | | | | language. |
| and go from there to some of the mathematical | | | | - fail to read their audience and therefore do not |
| concepts that they used or invented. | | | | see when their listeners are becoming bored or |
| Fair play | | | | irritated. |
| If you have a classroom situation where your | | | | At play |
| students are conspiring against you, or are trying | | | | It is often during play that a child learns how to |
| to cover for the misbehavior of a particular | | | | interact socially. For the parent or teacher of a |
| student, and you have a child with AS in your | | | | child with AS, play time can be very instructive |
| room, consider yourself blessed! Because of their | | | | both for parent or teacher and for the child with |
| strong sense of fair play, you can very often | | | | AS. The playground offers many opportunities for |
| count on the AS student to tell you exactly what | | | | social coaching. |
| is going on. If Suzie has hidden all the erasers, and | | | | Team sports |
| you ask the class, "Who took my erasers?" Your | | | | As a general rule, most people with AS do not |
| AS student will tell you that Suzie took them, | | | | like participating in team sports. There are too |
| where she hid them, and who served as her | | | | many activities going on at once for them to |
| co-conspirators. (The AS child's limited | | | | process. That's not to say that all people with AS |
| understanding of social interactions makes him | | | | avoid team sports. Of the five AS students I had |
| unable to fully appreciate the social consequences | | | | one year, two of them played team games at |
| of exposing a plot.) | | | | recess quite regularly. One was only mildly |
| If it becomes necessary for you to discipline an | | | | affected with AS, and the other had all the classic |
| AS child, be prepared to explain in logical fashion | | | | characteristics of Asperger's Syndrome. It just |
| why a particular disciplinary action is being meted | | | | goes to show that AS does not affect everyone |
| out. The AS child's strong sense of fair play and | | | | in exactly the same way. In fact, the affects of |
| his limited ability to see beyond himself may work | | | | AS can vary from time to time within in the |
| together to keep him from understanding the | | | | individual. |
| reasons behind the consequences of his behavior. | | | | Sense of fair play |
| He may even become very angry at the whole | | | | When children with AS do participate in a team |
| situation. If this happens, allow the child some | | | | activity, they are very much "by the book." They |
| alone time. The AS child needs this in order to | | | | will cite every infraction they witness and be |
| "decompress." Then, after he has had some time | | | | adamant that all the rules be strictly enforced. |
| to cool down, explain to him step-by-step what | | | | While this can be trying for you as the parent or |
| his behavior was, why discipline needs to be | | | | teacher, it is also an opportunity to teach the child |
| meted out, what the terms of the discipline are, | | | | about... |
| and what he can do in the future to avoid similar | | | | - diplomacy: "Yes, so-and-so did go out of bounds, |
| consequences. | | | | but screaming about it at the top of your lungs |
| Desire for routine | | | | and demanding like the Queen of Hearts that their |
| Substitute teachers will learn to appreciate the AS | | | | heads be removed, might not be the best way to |
| child in their classroom. While everyone else is | | | | enforce the rules." |
| working hard to throw the substitute off, the AS | | | | - seeing things from other perspectives: "I know |
| student will be working hard to remind the class | | | | you think so-and-so broke that rule, but just |
| of the usual routine. On the downside, the AS | | | | because you saw it that way doesn't mean the |
| child's strong desire for routine can make change | | | | referee saw it that way, or that he saw it all." |
| very difficult. Help the AS child by giving him as | | | | - flexibility: "Remember, we're not playing for the |
| much advance warning as possible. If a field trip is | | | | championship here. We're just playing for fun. Just |
| coming up, take time to explain to the class when | | | | enjoy the game." |
| it will happen, how they will get there, when they | | | | Playing with others |
| will return, how they should behave on the bus | | | | At play, children with AS will play 'with' other |
| and at the event, and so on. If you know a fire | | | | children, but not in the fluid and interactive way |
| drill is coming up, explain the escape route, what | | | | typical of most children. If the AS child is playing |
| the alarm will sound like - and be prepared for a | | | | with other children, it is often in the role of |
| potential panic attack on the day of the drill. | | | | director, and the AS child expects the other |
| People with AS are sensitive to certain sounds | | | | children to play according to his interests. So, for |
| and a loud alarm may actually cause them | | | | example, if the child happens to have an interest |
| physical pain or discomfort. It may even confuse | | | | in The Hobbit, someone will have to play Gandalf, |
| their thinking. If they need to cover their ears, let | | | | someone else must play Samwise Gangee, and |
| them. If they need someone to take them by | | | | the AS child himself will, of course, play Frodo |
| the hand and lead them out of the building, do | | | | Baggins. Everything is fine until the other children |
| that, or assign someone in the class to do it for | | | | grow weary of being directed, and decide to go |
| you. | | | | and play something else. It is not at all uncommon |
| Awkward communication skills | | | | to find the AS child in a crowded playground |
| When it comes to communication, people with AS | | | | playing by himself, or announcing that there is no |
| tend to talk at people rather than to people. | | | | one to play with, or that no one will play with |
| Because of this, they come across as rude or | | | | them. |
| blunt when that is not their intent at all. Being | | | | All of these playground scenarios are opportunities |
| factually minded, a person with Asperger's | | | | for parents and teachers to help the child with |
| Syndrome uses words to state facts. The | | | | Asperger's Syndrome deal with similar social |
| ambiance of language is largely lost on them. As | | | | situations. The child may not fully overcome all of |
| their teacher or parent, it is up to you not to | | | | his social hurdles, but the playground can help to |
| take it personally if your AS child says something | | | | build his social repertoire. |
| plainly without regard for the fallout that may be | | | | Conclusion |
| attached to his word choice. Parents and teachers | | | | When our son Nick was diagnosed with |
| need to take on the role of "social coach." If the | | | | Asperger's Syndrome, my wife and I were |
| words were genuinely unkind, you need to tell the | | | | devastated at first. We didn't know what it was, |
| child they were unkind, why they were unkind, | | | | or what it would mean for his future. All we knew |
| and what they must do or say to make things | | | | was that our son Nick would have AS all of his |
| right. If the words were innocent but blunt, you | | | | life. We couldn't kiss it and make it better. We |
| need to inform the child of this as well, and | | | | couldn't make it go away. And many of the |
| perhaps give him different words to convey the | | | | struggles associated with AS, Nick would have to |
| same idea in a kinder way. | | | | face alone. For a parent, nothing could be more |
| Excellent capacity for memorization | | | | heart rending. But as we have come to |
| Children with AS often have an excellent capacity | | | | understand AS, and as we have come into |
| for memorization. On the positive side, this makes | | | | contact with others who have it, we have also |
| AS children very good at rote memorization and | | | | come to understand that while Asperger's |
| recitation of fact. On the negative side, they are | | | | Syndrome does have its limitations, within those |
| not as good at application or understanding why | | | | 'limitations' is the potential for great achievement. |
| certain things are so. For example, if you have an | | | | |