Teaching a Child with Aspberger's

[Shade Silverwing]

beau99 and TonyM,

What kind of support did you get from home, school and other places? I guess I am asking when did you/your family become aware of your disorder? What steps did they take to help you with it? and what other outside programs/support did you have, if any? Was there anything specific that helped you?

Hope these questions aren't too personal, I am just hoping to have a better understanding of my nephew and maybe pass on some wisdom to my family.

Support? Well, I got lots of support in high school from teachers who were always on my case. It was frustrating at times, but it was well worth it. Thing is, nobody knew that I had Asperger's. I was already in special education because they thought I had ADD or something.

The support I got came heavily during senior year. I was in danger of not graduating, and the school district offered a charter school at night for people in the same situation. So basically from November until early May, I went to school 13 hours a day, 4 days a week, plus 8 hours each Friday. What I did was crazy, but it took determination to overcome the obstacle that I had faced.

When did I become aware of my problem?

After doing some research on autism. I don't know why I did so, but I'm glad it happened. My mom became fully aware because of a TV show called "Doc". The episode that night had to do with an Asperger child, and after watching it, my mom finally realized what was wrong with me.

As I said before, my teachers were never aware that I was an Asperger child. Or maybe they were, but they didn't know the name of it. They knew that I did great whenever I listened to my CD player, and that I was their computer expert.

I hope this helps a little bit. Probably not much, though.

 

[hardheadjarhead]

Anything you contribute will be helpful. I'd be interested in hearing about some of the social challenges you faced and how you overcame them.


Regards,


Steve

 

[shesulsa]

Beau -

Also, I've read and heard repeatedly of Asperger people being misdiagnosed as ADD, ADHD. Do / did you know of others around you that you think might have fit the description that went without any "assistance"?

And your take on special ed is an interesting one. I often wonder if the intensity of intervention might be too much sometimes.

What, in retrospect now, would you say was helpful (in general) and what would you say was a waste of time?

Thanks

 

[Shade Silverwing]

Beau -

Also, I've read and heard repeatedly of Asperger people being misdiagnosed as ADD, ADHD. Do / did you know of others around you that you think might have fit the description that went without any "assistance"?

Not to my knowledge. I was considered "unique" by some people.

And your take on special ed is an interesting one. I often wonder if the intensity of intervention might be too much sometimes.

It can be too much, but it's worth it.

What, in retrospect now, would you say was helpful (in general) and what would you say was a waste of time?

What was helpful? I think just about everything, at least for me.

What was a waste of time? To be honest, going to a psycologist who kept saying I had ADD and OCD, when in reality I didn't. I got nothing out of that, really.

 

[TonyM.]

Hey Beau! Nice to know ya.
What doen't work.
1.Beating
2.Ostracisation
3.Ridicule
4.Pyscobable B.S.
When I was a child no-one had coined the term ADHD yet, this came in my teens and I watched my friends younger brother get wasted on dexedrene. Asperger's wasn't known in english speaking countries until '85. I was diagnosed a year ago.
I had to hide my disorder to fit in with others. I learned to play the drums and dance to disguise flapping and rocking. I learned to be witty so when I was speaking in an odd accent it seemed like I meant to. I learned word substitutions so I could say things like poop or merde rather than ***** when I couldn't bite my lip fast enough.
The only formal training that was really helpfull was sports and martial arts.
Being unique or odd or eccentric and having a baby face and long eyelashes made me a fist magnet.

 

[shesulsa]

Fist magnet - that's what I worry about for my oldest. I would like to intensify his martial training right now, as he's going into high school, but his physical conditioning is lacking and he has very poor returns from athletic activity, i.e. his strength, tone and flexibility do not seem to improve.

It's great you learned to turn your challenges into something that worked for you.

 

[kempojack]

My daughter has downs syndrome and I have seen an incredible improvement in her self confidence and her self esteem since she began training. Last month she tested for her yellow belt and the smile on her face just lit up the room. My daughter is very outgoing and loving so she hasn't experienced much rejection from others. Our instructer has to work at keeping her focused on the task at hand and to stop trying to be the center of attention. I realize I've gotten a little off the topic but I believe martial arts can help any child with a handicap or disorder.

 

[TonyM.]

Is she sharp as a tack and funny as heck like most Down's syndrome folks?
P.S. Be carefull about her overexerting as many people with Down's have heart defects.

 

[Lisa]

My daughter has downs syndrome and I have seen an incredible improvement in her self confidence and her self esteem since she began training. Last month she tested for her yellow belt and the smile on her face just lit up the room. My daughter is very outgoing and loving so she hasn't experienced much rejection from others. Our instructer has to work at keeping her focused on the task at hand and to stop trying to be the center of attention. I realize I've gotten a little off the topic but I believe martial arts can help any child with a handicap or disorder.

Kempojak,

It is so good to hear from other parents of children affected with other disorders and it makes me happy to hear she is doing so well. Your slightly off topic comments are more then welcome. I am curious, what does your daughter's instructor do to keep her focused? How well does she interact with the other children/adults in the class?

 

[kempojack]

Is she sharp as a tack and funny as heck like most Down's syndrome folks?
P.S. Be carefull about her overexerting as many people with Down's have heart defects.

Tony

Christine is a regular heart breaker. She loves to be the life of the party. Everyone is her best friend. As far as her health goes her doctors have told us she is extremly high functioning and she has no heart problems normally associated with downs.

 

[kempojack]

Kempojak,

It is so good to hear from other parents of children affected with other disorders and it makes me happy to hear she is doing so well. Your slightly off topic comments are more then welcome. I am curious, what does your daughter's instructor do to keep her focused? How well does she interact with the other children/adults in the class?

Nalia

Her instructor has assistants and one of them will stand next to christine and her friend who also has downs and the three of them will work on the things together. she just loves to interact with everyone. She is starting to scare her mother because the other day she asked why she had to go home when everyone else was putting on their sparring gear. She loves a little contact, especialy with her older brother ( as he lies unsuspectingly on the floor watching television).I wish you and your nephew all the best!

 

[Lisa]

Thank you KempoJack, I appreciate your good wishes. Keep us posted on your daughter's progress. I have found that the people here are a wonderful source of support, especially when children are involved. :asian:

 

[TonyM.]

Way cool!