FAITH’S CORNER—What is Asperger’s Syndrome?
Feb 16th, 2009 by Faith
Autism has been gaining more media attention in the last few years. Now 1 out of 150 children are being diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum. This includes those chil- dren with Asperger’s Syndrome. But what is that? Asperger’s Syn- drome (AS) is a developmental dis- order that affects a child’s ability to socialize and communicate effec- tively with others. Children with AS typically exhibit social awk- wardness and an all-absorbing in- terest in specific topics (Mayo Clinic). It is considered to be the mild end of the Autism Spectrum.
People with Asperger’s have al- ways been in our midst we just failed to recognize them. Growing up these may have been the kids in your class who were a bit eccentric and had deep interests in such things as bugs, trains, baseball stats, science fiction, or music. They al- ways seemed to come off a little unusual to you. Word choice may sound more like the “little profes- sor” while at the same time they were missing some of the “common sense” information around them. It is not uncommon for those with AS to be less athletic than many of their peers due to awkwardness of move- ment. However, the ability to con- centrate on particular subject areas allows someone with Asperger’s to make great strides in understanding that subject. Many of our great sci- entists, mathematicians, and writers displayed symptoms of Asperger’s. Our goal is not to change the person with Asperger’s as they have so much to offer, but to help them build social and communication skills that will improve their quality of life.
The Center provides social skills training in group settings to help AS kids learn what others pick up intuitively such as the meaning of emotional expressions, perspective taking, tone of voice, body lan- guage, and attention skills. This group setting also allows them to build friendships. Individual help is available for those who need help with anxiety problems, reducing tantrums, anger control, and coping skills. We also provide education for parents, families, teachers, shad- ows, and coaches to create the structure that AS kids thrive in. Symptoms of Asperger’s Syndrome ˇ