Running a Classroom Discussion When a Child with Asperger's Syndrome Dominates

It is a well known fact that even young children with Asperger’s Syndrome will have a topic or small range of topics on which they can converse at great length. Termed by Dr. Asperger himself as little professors, these children delight in the facts they learn about a given subject matter and are eager to converse about it at length. The problems arise for these children’s inability to know when to stop and how much input is too much. Children with Asperger’s Syndrome tend to dominate the discussion about the topic at hand.

Running a classroom discussion when a child with Asperger’s Syndrome dominates by virtue of their expertise in the subject matter is not easy. As a matter of fact, it could be considered one of the most difficult tasks a teacher will have to face. On the other hand, with just a few simple little tricks and teaching tools, you are likely to successfully incorporate the child’s expertise in the subject in your teaching effort while still giving other children a chance to chime in as well.

* Use a tool, such as an egg timer, to very obviously limit the time period anyone is allowed to converse on the subject. Even if other children do not need the full five minute period to express their views, by employing the same timer for everyone levels the playing field and does not ostracize the child with Asperger’s Syndrome in front of classmates. * Limit question and answer sessions to five questions per topic per student. Use tally marks on the board to indicate which children had already asked questions. This allows the child with Asperger’s Syndrome to have his curiosity fed while at the same time avoiding the situation where the child will monopolize the question and answer periods. * Use positive reinforcement to laude the child for not going over the permitted time periods. If the child sticks to only five questions or five minutes of discourse on a given topic, praise him for his willingness to be a team player and letting the other kids also participate. * Kindle the child’s interest in other topics by relating them to topics of interest. This might be difficult at first since children with Asperger’s Syndrome do not usually like to work on topics that are outside their expertise. Nonetheless, if you manage to connect the topics together, you will get more cooperation and at the same time allow the child to still follow his own interests in pursuing knowledge about a certain topic. * Make group assignments with great care and supervise the interactions in the teams. While you do not want a child with Asperger’s Syndrome to dominate the discussion within a team, you also must avoid having him become the quiet recluse who contributes little, if anything, to the overall findings the team presents to the class.

As a teacher the best thing to do for a child with Asperger’s Syndrome is to gain and maintain control of a classroom. Do not turn over the control to the child by virtue of his expertise in an area; at the same time, do not allow other children to take over control of the class either.