Asperger's Syndrome

LadyGaeilge

I'm looking on ideas to help a senior student I teach who has been diagnosed with a mild form of Asperger's and suffers social anxiety issues. I'll see them once a week on a one-to-one basis and would like ideas on the best methods/activities to help them overcome said obstacles. If any teachers in learning support have experience in this area it would be appreciated.

byhookorbycrook

What age child? Do they have some form of report with recommendations?

skooterblue2

Hi Op,
your statement is so vague. Its the same as saying "there is a tractor in the field will you help me drive it?" where? what kind? what size? how old? When?

How old is the student? is Senior 16-18? mature age? 24+? or 40+?
You dont mention any sensitivities to stimuluses? Light sound?
Are there any special interests?

From My own personal experience I found the National Learning Network (new name for Rehab) a great source of advice and help

evolving_doors

For me i think the trickiest thing is the 'literality of thought', so most the nuances of slang could be lost e.g. "It's raining cats and dogs", child looks out the window looking for the cats and dogs hitting the ground!!. Not so much a problem for the more factual topics, but essay writing or giving personal opinions about the future or past can be difficult. So maybe practice essay writing with giving basic personal descriptions i.e. things they personally like/family/habits/routines.. then maybe switch to what others do/did/will do (might be problems with empathising).
This is all a bit stereotyping though as I suppose we're all on a 'spectrum' of some shape or form.

What are the aims of the child/parent in terms of education?
Working on developing social skills is a big task and would take a lot of prep work and maybe might do more harm than good. Once a week isn't much either, so maybe choose something small to work on. This might even take a bit of a while to suss out, so maybe expect some stumbling around in the dark. Talk to the other teachers too if possible (maybe even their primary school teachers if they've just transferred into secondary).

looksee

I found myself with the occasional Aspergers student and no information or training on how to deal with them.

Gradually I worked out a few ways of managing the situation, especially with one student who was quite significantly affected. As someone else has said, you have to speak directly. 'Do this now, please' rather than the more usual 'would you like to move on to the next part'. This would sometimes get a response of 'but I want to do (something else)' and the response would have to be, 'you can do that afterwards if you have time, but first I want you to do this'.

So maybe it might be helpful to discuss with him how to understand the polite 'suggestion' instructions that we make in daily life, which most people would understand are not suggestions at all. We use an astonishing amount of figurative speech in casual conversation. Some of his anxiety could be relieved if he can learn to interpret 'suggestions' and non-literal language.

I realise that this is very amateur and self taught but in the absence of actual recommendations (which there may well be by now) it may be helpful.

skooterblue2

looksee wrote: »

As someone else has said, you have to speak directly. 'Do this now, please' rather than the more usual 'would you like to move on to the next part'. This would sometimes get a response of 'but I want to do (something else)' and the response would have to be, 'you can do that afterwards if you have time, but first I want you to do this'.

Unfortunately, People with Aspergers are big on procrastinating and poor on taking hints...... and we like to cherry pick what we like to do. Hence things never get done and there are a massive lists of half sorted crap.

looksee

skooterblue2 wrote: »

Unfortunately, People with Aspergers are big on procrastinating and poor on taking hints...... and we like to cherry pick what we like to do. Hence things never get done and there are a massive lists of half sorted crap.

Well I'm pretty sure I don't fit into the spectrum and I can identify with that!

skooterblue2

looksee wrote: »

Well I'm pretty sure I don't fit into the spectrum and I can identify with that!

I really want to reply and deal with your post right now and i will ................ just as soon as I download Starwars rebels and go collect my social welfare, and have a rummage through the charity shops.

gaiscioch

Interesting thread with some necessary reminders for those of us who have kids with Asperger's in our classes - the procrastination rings very true for the student I'm thinking of (I had been putting it down to laziness of late). How important is sitting in the same seat, a clear desk, etc for people with Asperger's? (I vaguely recall something about certainty in this regard being necessary for kids with an ASD)

Also, would conceit about one's abilities be a feature of children with Asperger's?

(off topic, sort of)* I'd much rather a couple of the 33 Idiot Hours were spent on an SN reminder in-service than having yet more "Child Protection" Idiot Hours, or to listen to minutes of the last Idiot Hours being read out - anything to kill time and our brain cells in our vindictive little Irish government's "smart economy". It has been years since I've gone to an in-service about autism, dyslexia or anything like that and no doubt the technology has improved enormously since. However, I'll be damned if I ever again spend a second of my private life attending any in-service.*

Gerry T

OP I can't help but wish you all the best with your endeavours. Teaching bright children I would guess is not difficult but trying to find a way to unlock kids with learning difficulties is very important. well done and the best of luck.

skooterblue2

gaiscioch wrote: »

Interesting thread with some necessary reminders for those of us who have kids with Asperger's in our classes - the procrastination rings very true for the student I'm thinking of (I had been putting it down to laziness of late). How important is sitting in the same seat, a clear desk, etc for people with Asperger's? (I vaguely recall something about certainty in this regard being necessary for kids with an ASD)

Also, would conceit about one's abilities be a feature of children with Asperger's?

Just because you have met one person with Aspergers does not mean you have met and know every kid with Autism. Think of Professor Xaviers X-men. All are mutants but all have very different abilities. Some stong some weak.

Well I always like two tables at my local resturaunt because they are in dark corners and no one is looking at me or notices me. That is me, that is what I know and what I am safe with, why would I change and put myself out of my comfort zone? Life is safer when you know what you know.

I am not sure about "conceit" being an ability. Many people on the spectrum have very high morals. hence you will find them in law, religion or Quality control. In popular psychology you will find this under "Erroneous logic". This is one of our big failing to Adapt or to "let it go".

You know how a business goes legally bankrupt? All their creditors come looking for debts on the one day. So if X number of things go wrong on the one day this can lead to a melt down. It not the one thing ..... its all the little things.

skooterblue2

gaiscioch wrote: »

I'd much rather a couple of the 33 Idiot Hours were spent on an SN reminder in-service than having yet more "Child Protection" Idiot Hours, or to listen to minutes of the last Idiot Hours being read out - anything to kill time and our brain cells in our vindictive little Irish government's "smart economy". It has been years since I've gone to an in-service about autism, dyslexia or anything like that and no doubt the technology has improved enormously since. However, I'll be damned if I ever again spend a second of my private life attending any in-service.*

We refer to "The complete guide to Aspergers Syndrome" by Dr Tony Attwood as the Bible. It only costs €20 including delivery if you are willing to shop around. Other good sources are Simon Baron Cohen, (sounds a lot like Sacha Baron Cohen? I think they are possibly cousins are they are both dessented from Persian Jews, now you understand Borat/The Dictator so much better) and Professor Temple Grandin. My Psychotheraphist used to have her as his patient when she was in the university of Colarado. Claire Danes stared in the BioPic of her film.

There are 300 people working in the Doughnut (GCHQ) in Cheshire. Most people who are still able to keep uptodate with technology in the METS studies are probably on the scale. Considering in computers there is a new course to be learned every 18 months. In the good old days they could be banged off to the Monastry/Seminary/Convent now they are present in the colleges and universities. Remember that old bitter crank of a lecturer you used to have or the enthuasitic Teacher who couldnt wait to tell his students in science class what he was just after reading up on? That is them more likely than not. Even though he was boring them all to death (couldnt take a non verbal hint, see?).

eager.beaver

I have worked with a male student with Aspergers (16 years old) and he also suffers from social anxiety issues.
I used social stories with this student and found they helped. I would make them up based on the situations known or likely to make him anxious.
I also encouraged him to keep a diary of things that made him feel anxious so I could understand what situations made him anxious. We would discuss his diary entries together and this helped with his conversational skills and also made him see the situations recorded in a different light. The actual act of writing about the anxiety inducing incidents as soon as they happened helped to calm him as his attention was focused on the recalling and recording of the situation. We would then discuss things such as what made him anxious in this situation, how he felt etc. We would also discuss different scenarios such as if he was in this situation again what he could do to reduce the anxiety, who he could contact or talk to if he finds himself feeling like this again. Also from his diary I could come up with ways to help him avoid situations that are likely to make him anxious or come up with coping strategies. I also realised from his diary that there are some situations that cannot be avoided and steps must be taken to gradually introduce him to this situation and make him comfortable with it.