Asperger’s and High-Functioning Autism: Fact Sheet for Teachers

Asperger’s and High-Functioning Autism: Fact Sheet for Teachers

To all parents of children with Asperger’s (AS) and High Functioning Autism (HFA):

Below is a fact sheet that you can email (or hand-deliver a hard copy) to your child’s teacher(s). This fact sheet provides a short description of AS and HFA – and associated behaviors. Since all kids on the autism spectrum are different, parents should only use those items that directly apply to their youngster, making changes and additions as necessary. Copy and paste sections of the fact sheet – whatever you need to do to make it fit your child’s particular situation. It’s recommended that you only pick a few relevant items from the appropriate categories, rather than bombarding your child’s teacher(s) with the entire list.

Fact sheet for teachers with students on the autism spectrum:

Hello, I am _____'s parent. My youngster has been diagnosed with Asperger's (AS) – also called High Functioning Autism (HFA) – which is a neurobiological disorder on the autistic spectrum. Kids with AS and HFA often have difficulty using and understanding nonverbal cues and developing appropriate peer relationships. While they often have special interests and skills in certain areas, they also have difficulty with organization. AS and HFA kids often appear to lack empathy, havedifficulty with sensory issues, and strongly rely on routine.

My youngster has many strengths. However, listed below are some issues that may become apparent to you as you work with him/her. Many of the behaviors you will see are not under his/her control, and they are not a result of malice or willful misbehavior. At times, my youngster simply does not innately know how to respond appropriately. I’m sure you will learn other techniques that will be helpful, and I would appreciate your sharing those with me. Please call me at any time if you have questions. I can be reached at: __________

General Behaviors:

• AS/HFA is characterized by a sort of "Swiss cheese" type of development (i.e., some things are learned age-appropriately, while other things may lag behind or be absent). In addition, these kids may have skills years ahead of normal development (e.g., the youngster may understand complex mathematics principles, but not be able to remember to bring their homework home).
• At times, my youngster may experience “meltdowns.” At times like this, please allow a "safe and quiet location" where he/she will be allowed to "cool off." Try to take note of what occurred before the meltdown (e.g., an unexpected change in routine). Also, it's best to talk with him/her "after" the situation has calmed down. Notify me of any meltdowns.
• Please foster a classroom atmosphere that supports the acceptance of differences and diversity.
• Please remember that just because my youngster learns something in one situation, this doesn't automatically mean that he/she remembers or is able to generalize the learning to new situations.
• Please note my child’s strengths often and visually. This will give him/her the courage to keep moving forward.
• My youngster may have vocal outbursts. Be prepared for them, especially when he/she is having a difficult time. Also, please let the other kids know that this is his/her way of dealing with stress or fear.
• My youngster may need help with problem-solving situations. Please be willing to take the time to help with this.
• My youngster reacts well to positive and patient styles of teaching.
• When dividing-up assignments, please assign teams rather than have the other kids "choose” members, because this increases the chances that my youngster will be left out or teased.
• When it reaches a point that things in the classroom are going well, it means that we've gotten it right. It doesn't mean that my youngster is “cured” …never had a problem to begin with …or that it's time to remove support. Increase demands gradually.
• When you see anger or other outbursts, my youngster is not being deliberately difficult. Instead, this is a "fight or flight" response. Think of this as an "electrical circuit overload." Prevention can sometimes head-off these situations if you see the warning signs coming.

Perseverations:

• My youngster may repeat the same thing over and over again, and you may find this increases as stress increases. Please try to avoid answering the same thing over and over or raising your voice or pointing out that the question is being repeated. Instead, try to redirect my youngster's attention or find an alternative way so he/she can save face. Allowing my youngster to write down the question or thought, and providing a response in writing, may be very helpful at times.

Transitions:

• Giving one or two warnings before a change of activity or schedule may be helpful.
• My youngster may have a great deal of difficulty with transitions. Having a picture or word schedule may be useful.
• Please try to give as much advance notice as possible if there is going to be a change or disruption in the schedule.

Sensory Motor Skills/Auditory Processing:

• Breaking directions down into simple steps can be quite helpful.
• Directions are more easily understood if they are repeated clearly, simply, and in a variety of ways.
• My youngster has difficulty understanding a string of directions or too many words at one time.
• My youngster may act in a very clumsy way sometimes.
• He/she may react very strongly to certain tastes, textures, smells and sounds.
• Speaking slower and in smaller phrases can help.
• Using picture cures or directions may also help.

Stimuli:

• Please consider allowing my child to "move about" occasionally since sitting still for long periods of time can be very difficult for him/her. Even a 3-minute walk down the hallway and back (with a friend or aide) can help a lot.
• My child may get over-stimulated by loud noises, lights, strong tastes or textures, because of the heightened sensitivity to these things.
• Unstructured times (e.g., lunch, break, PE) may prove to be the most difficult for my child. Please try to help provide some guidance during these more difficult times.
• With lots of other children around, chaos and noise, it would be helpful if you would try to help my child find a quiet refuge to which he/she can go for a time-out.

Visual Cues:

• Hand signals may be useful, especially to reinforce certain messages (e.g., "wait your turn" … “stop talking out of turn” … "speak more slowly or softly").
• Most AS and HFA kids learn best with visual aids (e.g., picture schedules, written directions or drawings).

Interruptions:

• When someone tries to help by finishing my child’s sentences or interrupting, he/she often has to go back and start over to get the train of thought back.
• At times, it may take more than few seconds for my youngster to respond to questions. My youngster needs to stop what he's/she’s thinking, put that somewhere, formulate an answer, and then respond. Please wait patiently for the answer, and encourage others to do the same. Otherwise, he/she will have to start over again.

Eye Contact:

• Unlike most of us, forcing eye contact may break my child’s concentration.
• He/she may actually hear and understand you better if not forced to look directly at your eyes.
• At times, it looks as if my youngster is not listening to you when he/she really is. Don't assume that, because my youngster is not looking at you, that he/she is not hearing you.

Social Skills and Friendships:

• Children with AS and HFA are often at greater risk for becoming victims of bullying by peers. This is influenced by a couple of factors: (1) AS and HFA children want to be included and/or liked so badly that they are reluctant to "tell" on the bully, fearing rejection from the perpetrator or other children; (2) there is a great likelihood that the response that the bully gets from the AS or HFA youngster reinforces this kind of behavior.
• Young people with AS and HFA often want to make friends, but don’t have a clue as to how to go about it.
• Identifying 1 or 2 empathetic children who can serve as "helpers" will help my youngster feel as though the world is a friendlier place.
• Talking with the other students in the class about AS and HFA may help – if done in a positive way (e.g., talking about the fact that many of us have challenges, and that the AS/HFA youngster’s challenge is that he/she can’t read social situations very well, just as others may need glasses or hearing aids).

Routine:

• Please let my child know, if possible, when there will be a substitute teacher or a field trip occurring during regular school hours.
• Please let my youngster know of any anticipated changes as soon as you know about them, using picture or word schedules.

Language:

• Sarcasm and humor are often not understood by my youngster. Even explanations of what is meant may not clarify, because the perspectives of AS and HFA kids can be unique and, at times, immovable.
• Although my child’s vocabulary and use of language may seem high, he/she may not know the meaning of what he/she is saying, even though the words sound correct.

Organizational Skills:

• If necessary, please allow my child to copy the notes of other peers. Many AS and HFA kids have difficulty multi-tasking (e.g., listening to the teacher while reading the board and taking notes).
• It may be helpful to develop schedules (picture or written) for my child.
• My youngster lacks the ability of remember a lot of information – and how to retrieve that information for its use.
• Please post schedules and homework assignments on the board and make a copy for my child. 
• Please make sure that assignments get put into my child’s backpack, because he/she can't always be counted on to get everything home without some help.

Note: At times, some of my youngster's behaviors may irritate his/her peers – and you! Please know that this is normal and expected. Try not to let the difficult days color the fact that you are a wonderful teacher with a challenging situation. Nothing works all of the time, and some things may not work at all. Always feel free to share with me whatever you would like. I have heard it all before. It will not shock me or make me think less of you. Communication is the key, and by working together as a team, we can provide the best for my youngster.

Thank you very much,

_______________ (parent’s name)

P.S. For more information on teaching students with AS and HFA, please go to www.MyAspergersChild.com and get your copy of"Teaching Students with Aspergers and HFA". You can print as many copies as you like and share this valuable information with the other teachers, school counselors, etc.

MY CHILD HAS BEEN REJECTED BY HIS PEERS, RIDICULED AND BULLIED !!!

Social rejection has devastating effects in many areas of functioning. Because the Aspergers child tends to internalize how others treat him, rejection damages self-esteem and often causes anxiety and depression. As the child feels worse about himself and becomes more anxious and depressed – he performs worse, socially and intellectually. Thus, the best treatment for Aspergers children and teens is, without a doubt, “social skills training.”

http://www.myoutofcontrolteen.com/TeachingSocialSkills

HOW TO PREVENT MELTDOWNS IN ASPERGERS CHILDREN

Meltdowns are not a pretty sight. They are somewhat like overblown temper tantrums, but unlike tantrums, meltdowns can last anywhere from ten minutes to over an hour. When it starts, the Asperger's child is totally out-of-control. When it ends, both you and the Asperger’s child are totally exhausted. But...

Don’t breathe a sigh of relief yet. At the least provocation, for the remainder of that day -- and sometimes into the next - the meltdown can return in full force.

If your child suffers from Asperger’s Syndrome, expect him to experience both minor and major meltdowns over incidents that are part of daily life. He may have a major meltdown over a very small incident, or may experience a minor meltdown over something that is major. There is no way of telling how he is going to react about certain situations. However, there are many ways to help your child learn to control his emotions.

http://www.myoutofcontrolteen.com/aspergers-meltdowns2.html

ASPERGERS CHILDREN “BLOCK-OUT” THEIR EMOTIONS

Parenting children with Aspergers can be a daunting task. In layman’s terms, Aspergers is a developmental disability that affects the way children develop and understand the world around them, and is directly linked to their senses and sensory processing. This means they often use certain behaviors to block out their emotions or response to pain.

Although they may vary slightly from person to person, children with Aspergers tend to have similar symptoms, the main ones being:

=> A need to know when everything is happening in order not to feel completely overwhelmed
=> A rigid insistence on routine (where any change can cause an emotional and physiological meltdown)
=> Difficulties with social functioning, particularly in the rough and tumble of a school environment
=> Obsessive interests, with a focus on one subject to the exclusion of all others
=> Sensory issues, where they are oversensitive to bright light, loud sounds and unpleasant smells
=> Social isolation and struggles to make friends due to a lack of empathy, and an inability to pick up on or understand social graces and cues (such as stopping talking and allowing others to speak).

http://www.myoutofcontrolteen.com/AspergersHandbook