Want More Information on Aspergers Disorder?
Aspergers Disorder (Syndrome) is how children are categorized when a they hae some features of autism but have not developed the full blown autism spectrum. There is where it fits within the PDD spectrum. Sometimes people with Asperger Disorder are very brilliant and were not diagnosed with anything at all. People with Aspergers tend to have a different way of using language to communicate. A child may have a great vocabulary but not understand the nuances of language. Sometimes children often demonstrate walking to the beat of a different drummer. Motor dyspraxia can be reflected in a tendency to be clumsy.
Many people with Aspergers Syndrome will demonstrate gaze avoidance and may turn away when greeting another person. Although these individuals demonstrate difficult social interactions, they can however learn social skills and they do desire the social interaction with others. There is an impression that if you have Aspergers Disorder you have superior intelligence and can become interested in or preoccupied with a particular subject. This can lead to you becoming very successful. As a child, sometimes this manifests itself as being hard to make changes or adhering to routines. Many of the weaknesses can be remediated with specific types of therapy aimed at teaching social and pragmatic skills. Anxiety leading to significant rigidity can be also treated medically. Although it is harder, adults with Asperger can have relationships, families, happy and productive lives.
Aspergers Disorder Treatments
Social Skills Training: One of the more important treatment areas for all patients is getting social skills training. The indiviedual needs to learn body language and understand the rules for eye contact, social distance and how slang is used. Getting empathy is difficult, so they need to learn how to see signs that indicate others emotional state. Social skills are best practiced in a small group setting. These small grous give the individual a chance to practice their skills.
Medications: There is not a medication you can take for Asperger Disorder. Some patients are on medications to target specific symptoms, however many are not on medications at all. Those on medications might be on stimulants for inattention and/or hyperactivity. If your child has obsessions or perseveration then drugs such as Paxil, Prozac or Zoloft might help. These drugs can also help with anxiety and depression.
Psychotherapy: People with this disorder have difficulty working with therapists that insist on emotional contacts. Often times, the therapist should proceed into emotional areas slowly and avoid emotional intensity. Solid behavioral techniques often work best. Play can be used to teach social interaction with others, or can be used as a break from an emotional situation. Adults and children both do well in group therapy sessions.
Educational Interventions: Since Aspergers Disorder can range in intellectual ability a school must customize the program for each student identified with the disorder. Teachers should be educated in the specifics of Aspergers and understand that children may not wish to look them directly in the eye. If the routine is changing at school the teacher should take steps to notify the child ahead of time that the schedule will be changing. Children with Aspergers are generally socially naive - and may need assistance with social skills, even though they are brilliant. Some children can do well in a regular classroom with additional support for them.
Parents are an important part of helping the child grow and learn. A child will require additional time and nuturing to thrive. It is important for the parent to notice when a child is enteringemotional overload and to reduce the tension around the child. They need to prepare for changes in the daily routine as this can be very frustrating to the child. Play dates must be monitored and closely evaluated to ensure that everyone is playing well together. Many times parents can find an older child with Aspergers who can be a mentor to a younger child. This helps them learn the social clues and addtional areas like how to dress, or speak in a certain environment.
FacetoFace Health offers a social support group for mental health in children issues. It can be found here.
References:
NCPAMD.com
UDEL.EDU