Asperger's Disorder
| Asperger's Disorder has many
of the characteristics of Autism except that a child diagnosed as having
Asperger's Disorder may have seemingly normal communication and/or cognitive
development. A child with Asperger's Disorder often has a marked impairment in
social development and may not use language in a socially appropriate way or
with cognitive understanding of the social significance of language used. A
child with Asperger's Disorder typically has higher intelligence as well. In
fact, recent research has revealed that children with Asperger's Disorder most
often come from families of above average intelligence.
Children with Asperger's can lead a very normal life. As with any of us, there may be some "oddities" in their mannerisms. For one thing, children with all forms of Pervasive Developmental Disorder or Autism, tend to not be able to read social cues. They take the spoken word "literally". I am reminded of a young man, the age of 5, whom I had the pleasure of working with during his kindergarten year. Jonathan had difficulty with transitions, and we had done just about everything we could to make them easier for him. One day, about half way through the first semester, after being told to "line up" at the door, he turned to me with frustration and said, "But where is the line???" When you think of Asperger's Disorder, think of the movie Rain Man, for Dustin Hoffman portrayed a near perfect adult with Asperger's Disorder. Symptoms of Asperger's Disorder include:
Addressing behavior problems in children with Aspergers is very
different than with other forms of disabilities. About
the Author: Dr. Catherine Swanson Cain, PhD, LMFT provides counseling and
therapy to families of young children with behavior problems or mental
health disabilities. She also provides consultation and training to
educators, child care providers, and professionals on a variety of
behavioral health issues. |