In order to bring about more tolerance and acceptance for people who have Asperger’s syndrome, it is important to understand the implications of the syndrome.
Common Asperger’s Traits And Behaviors
Here are some traits and behavior patterns commonly seen in people who have Asperger’s:
- Most people with Asperger’s Syndrome have average, if not above average, intelligence.
- People with Asperger’s have excellent thinking skills whenever it comes to things. However, they are extremely poor at interpreting human relationships.
- Their intense preoccupations often centers on certain toys or areas of interest. Some of their most common obsessions include dinosaurs and forms of transportation, as well as how things work.
- Oftentimes people who have Aspergers will seek out other people to talk to about their interests. However, the conversation is usually one sided. Therefore it becomes more like a lecture where they talk about their knowledge and aren’t interested in feedback.
- Older children may enjoy a club that is focused on their interest. For instance, if they enjoy coin or stamp collecting, they may enjoy a club where others come together to talk about their collections.
- Eye contact is not understood and therefore it is not used.
- A child who has Asperger’s may seem to be cold and uncaring. This is not something that is deliberate though. They simply don’t think about other and they are unable to understand the social graces that help keep society functioning.
- While it is possible to teach someone who has Asperger’s social skills, it will be a long, slow process. Oftentimes parental intervention will be required to repair social damage whenever a child acts inappropriately.
- Short stories are very useful in teaching social skills. One page visual aids that teach about how it is important to listen to others and be quiet and still whenever someone is talking to them.
- Children with Asperger’s Syndrome tend to prefer routine and structure. Whenever there is none, they will become irritable and distressed. This is especially true if something unexpected happens.
- Oftentimes a child who has Asperger’s will have underdeveloped gross and fine motor skills. This will become problematic whenever it comes to balance or playing sports.
- Asperger’s Syndrome is usually detected whenever a child starts preschool. At this point the child will usually interact better with their teacher than with their peers. They may also display silly, loud, aggressive or socially withdrawn behavior.
- People with Asperger’s tend to interpret things quite literally. As such, they do not understand things like sarcasm, playful teasing and figures of speech.
- Children with Asperger’s find rules to be very important. So, if a game is not played properly or if another child breaks the rules, this child may become angry. There is a positive side to this though in that a child who has Asperger’s is less likely to experiment with smoking, drinking, drugs and sex as he grows older.
- Many Asperger’s children are perfectionists and struggle if they fail to produce perfect schoolwork. Herein it is important for their teachers and parents to encourage them to move on. Sometimes it helps to create distractions in order to get them to continue working.
- Asperger’s children find it difficult to make generalizations. So, if they are taught that they shouldn’t hit a child at school, they will not automatically make the connection that they also shouldn’t hit a child at the mall either.
- Children with Asperger’s syndrome tend to express their feelings in unpredictable ways. As such, these children will sometimes seem to be void of emotions and. However, at other times these children may display extreme emotion that is not appropriate for the situation.
- Interrupting conversations is a very common problem that children with Asperger’s struggle with. They don’t understand the social signals that allow conversation to move from one person to another.
- An Asperger’s child can be helped if their parents consistently work with them. Herein it is important to continuously highlight their strengths and work on their weaknesses.
In Conclusion
There is hope for Asperger’s children. It will require some training and support from the child’s family and the health professionals that they choose to work with though. However, in the end these children really will be able to live meaningful, productive lives.