What to
take into account when we have to teach a student diagnosed with Asperger’s
Syndrome? We as teachers need to know certain typical ways in which these kids
behave. Following some medical studies we can have a better understanding on
the one hand of how to treat them, and on the other hand of how to plan our
lessons with different strategies to maximize the participation of all our
students.
The
following are some common misdiagnoses and valuable questions parents of these
kids should pay attention to, these will be useful for teachers as well.
According
to medical studies, no two children with Asperger’s Syndrome are alike. Because
it’s on a spectrum, there are subtle differences between each case, making
diagnosis difficult, and misdiagnosis worryingly common. Early intervention is
the number one way to help kids function, so it’s important that parents stay
informed about key indicators.
Keep in
mind, however, a child who has some of the red flags mentioned doesn't
necessarily have Asperger’s. Diagnosis is a job for a doctor; these are some
guidelines for parents to be aware of.
Here are
five questions parents should ask themselves:
1. How does
my child play with other kids?
Doctors now
say this is the fundamental question when dealing with a child who may have a
developmental disorder.
Pretend
play is not possible for kids with Asperger’s. Abstract and creative thinking
do not come naturally to them. So instead of imagining a play scene, a child
with Asperger’s will often quote lines from movies, books or TV shows, usually
verbatim. Many parents mistake the play-acting for “rich pretend play” because
they hear the extensive vocabulary and the intricate dialogue.
Parents may
also misunderstand their child’s play at home, which is very different than on
the playground. They tend to assume that if their child plays fine at home,
then he must play fine with the other kids too. But adults tend to follow their
own kids, and will cater to their needs during play.
“Try to
imagine playing with them like a 5-year-old, not like an adult,” advises Dr.
Laurie Leventhal-Belfer,
licensed psychologist, “and see how things go when you want to change things in
their play.”
Test your
child’s reaction to change in play by bringing in a new character to the scene,
or tell him you want to play with different toys. This will be very difficult
for children with Asperger’s. They are accustomed to routine, and often melt
down in the face of change.
Common
Misdiagnosis: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
The
“perfectionist” characteristic is very common in Asperger’s children. Many of
their mannerisms are similar to those of OCD, and can be seen during play, for
instance, when a child always lines up his blocks in alphabetical order or
largest to smallest.
2. What
kind of conversations does my child have?
Verbal
dialogue is another key indicator. Children with Asperger’s tend to have
one-sided conversations with their peers. The conversation will either be led
solely by the Asperger’s child, or it will end abruptly.
“We have
children who, all they want to talk about is their area of interest,” explains
Dr. Alice Locke Chezar, MFT, ATR, family therapist, “and they know it inside
out and backwards. It could be science, or cars, or the year before that it
could have been dinosaurs. He could go on for 15 minutes in great detail.”
Asperger’s
causes children to speak with only concrete, intellectual vocabulary about
topics that they’ve learned. Small talk remains a foreign concept to Asperger’s
kids. They must work with speech and language pathologists, and are essentially
trained how to have normal, everyday conversation.
Common
Misdiagnosis: Speech Delays
In fact,
this characteristic is common between almost all the developmental disorders.
But Asperger’s kids do not have typical speech delay; they simply do not see
the need to converse or interact with other people.
3. Does my
child seem academically gifted?
Many
parents of kids with Asperger’s initially think their child is gifted or
brilliant, without realizing that there may be something else going on.
Having a
specific area of interest is one of the most common characteristics of
Asperger’s. Children will only become talkative when their area of interest is
brought up, usually with adults. These children tend to have very high IQs, and
excel in math and science—the concrete, non-abstract subjects.
When
Leventhal-Belfer first started working with Asperger’s kids, she had a 4-year-old
say, “Dr. Laurie did you get stock today? The market is going up.” Was this
small child well versed in the stock market? No. Turns out, his father was a
stockbroker. He could easily repeat things he’d overheard his father saying.
Common
Misdiagnosis: No diagnosis.
Because
Asperger’s children have great memory and are hyper-focused, they tend to excel
in school, and many of them fall between the cracks because their main struggle
is with social interaction.
4. Can my
child tolerate losing?
Many people
associate violence and tantrums with Autism, and while children with Asperger’s
do have meltdowns, they tend to be sweet, loving kids on an everyday basis. The
majority of their temper tantrums occur because of change. If someone is not
playing by the rules in a game, or if someone disagrees with the child on their
topic of interest, a serious eruption could occur.
“Often
these kids have tremendous meltdowns, which all kids do to some extent,” says
Leventhal-Belfer, “but these go on for quite awhile, to the extent that parents
often allow their child, a five-year-old, to win.”
To avoid a
tantrum, many parents will play by their child’s rules. But that doesn’t help
the child cope in the real world. For example, kids with Asperger’s tend to be
overly critical of others, and may carry these habits into adulthood if they do
not get the intervention and training to help them deal with change.
Common
Misdiagnosis: Anxiety.
Change will
always bring about anxiety in children with Asperger’s, but the anxiety is not the
root of the problem.
5. Do they
make eye contact while talking?
This is one
of the earliest warning flags for both Autism and Asperger’s.
“If you
look at a baby, and you look into their eyes, they follow you,” explains
Leventhal-Belfer, “So you have social dances, social interactions since birth.”
This idea
of eye contact is not natural to kids with Asperger’s. Even the small, subtle
gestures of communication, such as a nod or a smile during conversation have to
be learned.
Common
Misdiagnosis: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
When they
are off in their own world, looking at the plants or the ceiling, they seem
distracted. Often they fidget, like ADHD kids, but the fidgeting with
Asperger’s is a result of change or a new environment.
I hope this article is beneficial for you as a teacher to recognize the signs of children with Asperger's Syndrome and be alert to them. This should be a warning sign for you to carefully plan your classes using varied strategies to reach all your students. Likewise, noticing these signs should help you make sound and careful interactive decisions in your classes.
