Understanding the Asperger’s
child.
An excerpt from Understanding the Asperger’s Child in your School and amended to cover
some of Nathans specific issues
by Nanette Wilcox. (Teacher at
Knowledge changes
attitude, which then changes behaviour.
Separate the child from the syndrome
and try and experience the world through their eyes.
I aim to provide the educator and parent
with an understanding of the Asperger’s child
that will enable them to learn and teach strategies that will help all people
involved.
While children with autism have been described
as living in a world of their own, the child with Asperger’s
lives in his world, but is
within ours.
Lacking both the skills to blend in, and the
visibility of an impairment that might be an obvious signal to us, there is an
even greater need for understanding this child.
This child is truly alone.
What is Asperger’s
Syndrome?
It is a high functioning, neurologically
based form of autism that significantly affects social perception,
interactions, language, and non-verbal communication. With average to superior
intellectual capacity, the child with Asperger’s
looks typically normal (mostly) but lacks most of the social awareness and
skills needed to connect with other people in their world.
Given their intellectual ability and
range of social impairment from mild to profound, students should remain in
general classes, some with full time one -on-one aides or others with an ‘official’ in their class for
support.
Some students, because they have not been
diagnosed specifically with Asperger’s, have not
been classified as having any special education needs, so merely become
labelled as ‘that child
in my class!’
How do I recognise it?
Confusion, disorganised thinking,
fantasising, agitation, emotional outbursts, paranoia, pacing, talking to themselves,
opposition - all signs of Asperger’s, but also
symptoms of ADHD, ADD and ODD, seem to be the most common diagnosis for these ‘problem
children’.
Asperger’s is not recognised as often as it should. If a child is
repeatedly being an annoyance, then settling this child is made so much easier
for all with an understanding of what could be causing the disturbances. All
school personnel and parents would benefit by learning and recognising the
characteristics of Asperger’s Syndrome.
Individual differences and degrees of
severity among children with Asperger’s abound.
-all children do not demonstrate every characteristic- but it is a combination
of inter personal, motor, and language characteristics which obscures diagnosis
and separates these children from their peers.
The intelligence and vocabulary that these
‘little professor’s’ display, may mask
the disability, thereby buying the child a grudging tolerance, but little or no
support.- ‘He’s just an annoying little so-in-so!’
These children do not internalise social rules,
their behaviour is noticed as irritating, rude and immature. They are unaware
of hidden, implied or multiple meanings.
The other common situation is
misdiagnosis. They become classified as having learning difficulties, behaviour
problems or attention deficit.
It is critical that Asperger’s
children have very clearly defined rules to work within. They will take these literally so it is important that they are in
a non-ambiguous language. They will expect all to live within these rules.
The following are signs that teachers
generally notice first:
Speech:
Although there is no clinically
significant delay in language development or cognitive abilities, there may be language
or speech peculiarities. The child’s language
may be stilted and formal; their voice may be monotone or much too loud. They go on and on and on, and we ask ourselves - ‘When is he ever
going to stop!’
To make matters even more intolerable
for the listener, many also have a speech a major impediment.
Avoids social play with peers:
The invisible problem here is the person
with poor social skills who maybe doesn’t stand
out, but doesn’t fit in, or is not noticed until
he gets people annoyed.
This kid may be so afraid of ridicule
or rejection, that he doesn’t even recognise
when people are trying to be nice, and he drives them away.
Kid’s social status is arrived at early in their school years. Their
reputations, once established, almost never go away- without intervention,
these kids are lost!
Unaware of codes of social conduct:
Unlike children with physical and more obvious forms
of disability, there is an absence of a ‘marker’ that leaves peers
and teachers without explanation ‘for the Asperger’s
social faux pas and transgressions. They are most times perceived as being ‘just
deliberately aggravating,’ as intellectually they are okay.- hence -“He
is smart enough to know better!”
Unusual qualities in conversation and
imaginative play:
When young children play imaginative
games, the child usually pretends to be a particular character, and dresses accordingly,
using toys and imaginary scenes with others...Asperger’s
children would rather play imaginative, but solitary games. For example, he can
often be found in the far corner of a playground pretending to make dinner. He
has collected grass seeds and ground them between stones and going through the
motions of making the food from scratch!
Other imaginative play can take them
into the script of a recent book that has been read to them or a movie they
have seen, but careful observation identifies that the dialogue is a duplication
of the original source. The tone of voice and script are identical to the
source from which it came.
One boy was rocking from side to side
and when he was asked what he was doing he replied,
“I’m
a car’s wiper blades!”
Clumsiness in writing, running,
catching:
When these kids run or walk their movements
appear ungainly or ‘puppet ‘like. There is lack of upper and lower
limb co-ordination. When catching a ball, the arm movements are poorly
co-ordinated with poor timing, and similarly with kicking a ball.
Balance is poor, i.e. balance beam
and hopping, learning to ride a bike.
Handwriting! The teacher may spend considerable
time correcting and interpreting the child’s
indecipherable scrawl. The child finds writing a chore and is reluctant to
participate in activities that require extensive writing.
Does or says unsociable things:
They speak what’s
on their minds in innocence, that is usually perceived as outright rudeness!.
One child may look directly at you, and say “Why are you so fat?”
Others have been known to be amazed at your breast size (when his mother doesn’t have large ones) and innocently you are poked
there and he remarks, “Oh they are soft!”
It is also quite common for young
children to vocalise their thoughts. This often disrupts the attention of
others in the classroom or causes teasing. The child may not hear the
instruction of the teacher because they are too engrossed in their own personal
conversation.
These vocalisations are important to
them, as it helps them to figure out how to do things. Should it become a serious
problem, encourage the child to whisper to themselves or ‘think it’ don’t ‘say it.’
Little or No understanding of
winning, losing, or team play:
They are primarily individuals and
not natural team members. Extreme anxiety can affect their thinking and speech
and their inability to perform, which produces failure.
Playing a team sport, i.e. bat/ball, Asperger’s kids can attempt to bat, bowl and run as
well as the others, and can enjoy it, but when it is the turn of their team
mate and they should be cheering them on to win, they are invariably seen to
have a greater interest in watching a bug or bird moving about on the grass.
They have a strong preference to
interact with adults, and when required to be a team member, if they are
anxious about participating it would be in your best interest to give them a
job, like scoring or timekeeping, rather than participate.
Difficulty interpreting body language
and expressions:
Many avoid eye contact. They report
that they would rather not look at a face as it is too confusing, especially when
close and ‘in trouble’. People’s eyes
express something they don’t understand and it
confuses them.
“Look at me when I am speaking
to you son!” the Principal demanded. “Why? I know you are
there”, the Asperger’s boy innocently
responded.
Limited ability to conceptualise the
thoughts and feelings of others:
Their self imposed isolation and lack
of empathy, their rigid adherence to rules and rituals has caused them to have
serious impairments in peer relationships, therefore they have created their
own world, which, to them is less confusing.
You’ve no doubt encountered this scenario…
A child with Asperger’s
may move into the personal space of others, failing to recognise body language
and even verbal cues that he or she has transgressed.
Teachers, friends and strangers alike
may be greeted with tight and enthusiastic hugs.
Bypassing typical greetings like “Hello,
how are you?” the student may launch into a diatribe on their latest topic
of concern. It is usually of a narrow, special interest (computer mother
boards; the mating schedule of the African Dung Beetle; frequency and
occupation of the 404 bus; Star Wars etc) the content at times seeming
inappropriate for his/her age group to be concerned with- but the child continues to elucidate, oblivious
to the disinterest, ‘looks’, or sniggers from the group around.
The tone of voice is often confusing. Where we
might interpret a certain tone of voice as being arrogant or sarcastic, the Aspergers child is simply saying what is on their mind with
the emotion that they are feeling at the time. In their mind they are not
connecting the two together.
Asperger’s children generally, have no concept that their comment could
embarrass or cause an offence, or that an apology could help repair a person’s feelings.
Do not take it personally.
Sensory sensitivity:
Asperger’s children have heightened sensory sensitivity, but a
distinct lack of sensitivity to pain. The most common reactive sense is sound.
Sudden unexpected noises, continuous
noises or large complex noises, such as shopping centres are examples. As a
teacher it may be difficult to empathise with their discomfort, as these noises
are not unduly unpleasant to us.
A fan that clicks as it revolves in
the classroom can be so upsetting to them it can cause violent confusion. A
piercing or whining voice may cause the same reaction.
Noisy assemblies, concerts, loud speakers,
bells, hooters, music, and confined areas, sometimes necessitates them blocking
their ears or withdrawing in distress.
Inattention, or odd withdrawn
behaviour by the student, could be indicative of a reaction to some sound that,
to a teacher would be insignificant. Social stories about bells and hooters
explaining the reason for the sound, the duration of the sound, and what they
should do when they hear it (autocue) will help reduce their anxiety.
Unstructured recess/lunch periods can
lead to destabilising anxiety and stress.
It would be a worthwhile move to
offer an alternative to them when attending these events, such as head phones
or ear plugs. Do not ban them or ostracise them from attending because of their
potential discomfort.
Stubbornness:
Their rote form of learning, without
the cognitive empathy that we understand to go with situations, causes weird
automated responses or opposition and stubbornness. Their thinking appears to
be rigid and does not adapt to change or failure. The child at times appears
to have a ‘mental block’, and will not change their strategies if
they are not working for them. - “He
doesn’t learn from his consequences!”
You can’t
tell them what they don’t want to hear. They are
unable to cope with being wrong and are infuriatingly rigid when in discussion
or argument! On these occasions it is best just to agree to
have a difference of opinion than try to make them see your point. It is very
important to pick which battles to try and win as they will be long and hard fought
with some points taking months to make the required change in attitude.
Once an activity has been learnt,
they can not transfer or generalise their learning to
different situations. They have a rigid interpretation of when certain actions
are appropriate. This rigidity can cause problems in the classroom. If they
decide something has to be done there and then, no-one can deter them. They
will be calling out if you had set a prescribed time for an activity, and you
have over-run the mark!
Classroom and Home structure.
Class work:
Their memory is primarily visual.
They can recall pages of work, word perfect, by photographic memory, and
because of this are often accused of cheating. .
They prefer factual non-fiction
reading materials. Fiction represents characters and emotional experiences.
This may explain why a child is disruptive and bored at a time when the rest of
the class is enjoying a story being read to them!
A recent study suggested that Asperger’s children may have considerable academic
achievement in Primary school, but deterioration in High school. This is due to
changes in curriculum. In Primary school the tasks involve rote mechanical
procedures, long term memory and fairly simple linguistic instructions. At High
school the child is expected to acquire skills in comprehension,
conceptualisation, analysis, team work and problem solving.
Their workings of Mathematics even
have their individual idiosyncrasies!
When asked to show how they achieved
an answer, it is impossible at times, but the answer will be correct! The
following are 3 simple examples:
(1) “5
+ 6= ?”
They
answer..6 + 6 = 12 5 and 6 is one less so therefore the answer
is =11 !
(2) “34 - 12?”
34
+ 2 = 36, -12 = 24, -2 =22! Rather than 34-10=24, -2=22
(3) “47 - 15?”
Either
add 3 to 47 and also add 3 to 15, or, first take 7 from 47 and then 8 !
They have a totally different way of problem solving. To make them do it our way will result in an attitude melt down. Asperger’s children are visual learners. If they don’t grasp the concept of something you’ve verbalised or shown on the board, try and transpose it into visual clues. If necessary, use colours to further break down the problem into easier, manageable, steps.
Computers are an attraction to Asperger’s children. It is communication without
overwhelming sensory overload of human presence. Although technology can be a
powerful tool, you should limit student’s time
on the computer to avoid encouraging a potential obsession and allowing the
computer to become a substitute for human contact.
Classroom:
Be thoughtful with your classroom seating.
Any student with Asperger’s is a made to order
victim. They should not be seated in close proximity to known bullies or
aggressive students.
Instead seat them next to a ‘peer
buddy’ who may act as a ‘social translator’ when occasions arise.
The student may work most effectively
seated near the teacher, or in an open, quiet area. Don’t
let the class pick their own groups, as the Asperger’s
child will be the one left out and isolated.
Fixations on one particular topic or
idea, and obsessions with one train of thought long after the class has moved
on to something else, are quiet common. Questions at the “wrong time”
or “out of place” comments are the Bain of everyday teaching when you
have an Asperger‘s child in your class. It takes
them so long to process what is being asked or what is being said that they
often get left behind.
Teachers can serve as a bridge between
the Asperger’s student and the rest of the class
by interpreting the point they are making to the rest of the class, so they can
see the value of it.
Where possible, be aware of the child’s specific strengths and weaknesses and develop
a strategy (with the help of the parents, school councillor, and any support
network involved with the child) that ensures its regularly amending as the
child matures emotionally. Aspergers children will
display widely differing symptoms from each other, so being aware of their
individual needs and triggers will guarantee an improved work rate and less
disruptive behaviour in the classroom.
A procedure should be put into action so that any
relieving teacher, or carer, can refer to it, BEFORE, presenting themselves to
teach, or care for, that child.
Take the following sentence as an example
of how an Asperger’s child would process
something:-
I didn’t
say you took my pencil.
I didn’t
say you took my pencil (but someone said it)
I didn’t
say you took my pencil (I definitely didn’t
say it)
I didn’t
say you took my pencil (but I implied it)
I didn’t
say you took my pencil (but someone did)
I didn’t
say you took my pencil
(but you did something with it)
I didn’t
say you took my pencil (but took someone else’s)
I didn’t
say you took my pencil (you took something else)
Eight different meanings without
changing one syllable! Easy for us to pick up because of the inflection spoken,
but to the Asperger’s child, the emphasis doesn’t register.
Aspergers children tend to take what you say very literally, so be
aware that if you tell them that lunch will be in half an hour, expect them to
just get themselves ready in half an hour even if it is still five minutes to
go.
Most of these students thrive on
clear expectations and routine. Visual schedules and time frames are essential.
Clearly designated classroom jobs; space for them to be in; and time to be
spent doing it! ‘To do’ lists
are indispensable.
Wherever possible explain the changes
in routine in advance. Explain also that there may be times when we can’t anticipate change.-
Home:
It is also very important that a routine
as maintained in their home life. Getting up at the same time every day, meals
at the same time, TV times structured so that they are consistent every day.
The occasional late night movie can be very beneficial as a reward for good
behaviour. The more structured the home life is, the easier it is for the
Aspersers child to fit into it.
Rewarding good behaviour and ignoring
bad behaviour, while difficult, is absolutely critical.
How to cope with meltdowns!
Access to a quiet, private place-
school library, a special corner of the room where the child can be alone will
refresh and alleviate the stress that accompanies their constant effort to fit
in. Somewhere out of sight of the rest of the class is preferable. They get
overload of non-processed material, and need a safe haven where they can hide
and feel safe and secure, alone.
Do not take it personally.
Learn to recognise the signals when
the child is becoming agitated. Their breathing gets heavier, their temper gets
shorter, the raising of the voice together with pacing, foot tapping, or
banging on the desk. Suggest they go to their “safe place”, (if they haven’t already indicated they want to,) until they
feel calmer.
If there is no safe place, suggest
they just go outside the room and breathe deeply. If the child barges out
before you can suggest anything, do not attempt to stop them.
Send another child to your Principal
or support person to advise them.
Do not send another child out with the
Asperger’s child.
Do not be confrontational with the Asperger’s child while they are upset.
Do not try to enforce any consequences while
the child is emotive - if necessary leave it till the
next day. Wait until the appropriate time to discuss the things that happened.
Once they are calm and collected they will realise where they have done wrong
but sometimes they will find it hard to face their mistakes – be
forgiving so they can move on without the added fear of rejection.
A meltdown is usually a sign of complete
overload for this child. It may not be caused by the last thing that was said,
or happened. That may just have been the trigger of a full week, or just one day‘s frustration, that lit the ‘time bomb‘.
While the child is having his outburst, it will
be nearly impossible to get them to conform until their issue has been addressed.
If the issue isn’t addressed you are part of the
problem rather than part of a possible solution. It will always be easier to
get a child to comply with a request to “come over here and explain to me
why you are upset so I can help fix it” rather than “come here and
settle/quieten down please”
The following is an example of a situation
that happens to just about every Asperger’s
child during their school years…
Nathan’s academic standard is high. He is a good kid, and does not
have a mean bone in his body but…he does have these
confusing outbursts, that cause his peers to worry, and his teachers to feel
inadequate with their own inability in handling him at these times.
When he does act out, his father is called,
and they remove Nathan from the school thereby ...‘solving the problem’
for the day … it is thought.
As a result of everyone’s
‘inability’ to handle Nathan when he has a meltdown, he is rarely
allowed to participate in any excursions or camps. The excuse for this is given
as being preventative… just ‘in case’ he has an outburst and
no-one can deal with it, and we would be ‘out of reach’ of Nathan’s father …
(His only placebo!)
What is this doing to Nathan?
Ostracism
causes antagonism- which in turn causes bullying-which results in depression- a
defective cycle of events.
Conclusion:
The child, who interrupts, speaks too
loudly, misses your jokes, and/or tells peculiar ones of his own may be
challenging to like.
Separate the child from the Syndrome and
try to experience the world through their eyes. Don’t
think how hard it is to be their teacher or parent - think how hard it is to be
them!
If you model warmth and acceptance
his peers will too. The child is desperately in need of positive interaction and
will flourish in a supportive environment..
Isolation contributes to depression.
An effective deterrent to this isolation is a classroom and family environment
that promotes acceptance of even the most vexing child.
Nanette Wilcox.2006©