Autism Spectrum

Autism Spectrum covers a wide range of psychological conditions. It is also known as Autism Spectrum disorders or ASD, Autism Spectrum Conditions or ASC, or Pervasive Developmental Disorders or PDDs.

Autism Spectrum Disorders can manifest itself in various degrees. It impairs the feeling, the language, the thinking, and also how one relates to others socially. It is usually noticeable in early childhood at approximately 3 to 4 years of age, but can sometimes be discovered as early as one year old. Its lesser form is known as Asperger syndrome. There are two other disorders, although extremely rare, that is known as childhood disintegrative disorder and Rett syndrome.

The first sign of this type of disorder is noticed very early on by some parents. The parents will get a feeling of their child behaving differently than other children. The child does not make eye contact with others or respond to them. They are alert, but focus on certain things with an abnormal intensity that is unusual.

Some children develop at a perfectly normal pace and then slowly lose those same abilities along the way taking a backward development. Some children babble instead of speak or do not talk altogether. They are unsure of how to play with their toys or line them up.

They do not seem to hear maybe because they are so intently focused on one particular thing. They have trouble in social situations and prefer to be alone, as this is easier on them most likely. They seem to be confused with others gestures and do not pick up on social cues as one normally would. Behaviors can be repetitive in the autistic child, such as running around in a circle or flapping their arms. All of these symptoms can range from very severe to very mild.

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder require a great deal of attention and therapy to hopefully come to terms with dealing with this disorder. Many parents of autistic children will separate because of the emotional intensity and strain of this disorder. Because they are dealing with their child’s needs there is nothing left to give to each other.

Treatment comes in the form of therapy, extensive therapy on a daily basis. Sometimes medications are used to help with the behavioral problems. Some children with autism have been helped through special dietary measures.

As there is no cure for this disorder parents pull at strings to help their children at least cope in this world with their disorder. Depression, frustration, and hopelessness plague the parents of an autistic child. They would give anything for some type of normalcy in their children’s lives and are delighted with any encouraging signs and work hard to achieve this. For the love of their children they press on and do not give up in the dreams for their future. A great deal of patience and a whole lot of love empowers these parents of autistic children.

Aspergers Syndrome Facts You Can Live With

Part of living with a disorder or condition is learning all you can about it so that you can do what is necessary to have a life that is satisfying and functional. Parents of children with Asperger's Syndrome (AS) and adults with the syndrome need to understand what the symptoms and signs are and how to relate to the individual with AS.

The first fact you should learn about is what the syndrome is. Asperger's Syndrome is a milder variant for of Autistic Disorder. Asperger's Syndrome is also part of the larger category of disorders called Autistic Spectrum Disorders or also referred to in the United States as Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD).

Individuals are identified as possibly having Asperger's Syndrome by the inability to function in two-sided social interactions and when non-verbal communication is involved. They typically score high in vocabulary but usually have inflection abnormalities and repetitive patterns. Individuals with AS are typically clumsy in articulation and in gross motor movement. They can usually be found obsessing over a particular subject.

Individuals who are highly functioning autism have similarities to those who have AS but there are differences. When it is AS and not highly functioning autism the onset of characteristics is usually later and the outcome is typically more positive. In AS the social and communication deficiencies are less severe and the obsessive interests are more prominent. In individuals with AS the verbal IQ is typically higher than the performance IQ scores and with individuals with high functioning autism the performance IQ is higher than the verbal IQ. Individuals with AS are known frequently seen with clumsiness as a characteristic and this is not true of those with high functioning autism. The family history is also present with those with AS.

Individuals diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome demonstrate no evidence of brain lesion or any other biological factor of autism. Furthermore, typically individuals with autism commonly have associated medical conditions such as fragile-X syndrome, tuberous sclerosis, neurofibromatosis, and hypothyroidism which are less common in those who have been diagnosed with AS. In fact a very small number of cases of AS have been associated with any type of structural brain abnormality. One study conducted by Dr. R. Kaan Ozbayrak, found left parietooccipital hypoperfusion in those with Asperger's Syndrome. Larger studies are needed in this area of research in order to evaluate brain imaging techniques in association with AS.

There is no known cause for Asperger's Syndrome and there is no single treatment or "cure" for it either. There is however interventions that address the symptoms and can initiate rehabilitation.

Psychosocial interventions include individual psychotherapy, education and training concerning AS, behavioral modification, social skills training, and educational interventions.

Medications used to treat AS include psychostimulants to treat the hyperactivity, inattention and impulsivity of those with AS. The psychostimulants may include methyphenidate, dextroamphetamine, and metamphetamine. Other medications used may include clonidine, Tricyclic Antidepressants, and Strattera. In order to treat the symptoms of irritability and aggression or to stabilize mood medications such as valproate, carbamazepine, lithium, and Beta Blockers such as nadolol, and propranolol may be used as well as clonidine, naltrexone, and also Neuroleptics.

Eye Contact a Chancy Game for Those with Asperger's Syndrome

Even as body language is a tough nut to crack for the individual with Asperger’s Syndrome, eye contact could be considered an even harder art to master. Hold it too long, and it will become an uncomfortable stare. Do not engage in it long enough and one might be accused of having a furtive stare. There is no happy middle ground and those dealing with the disease on a daily basis – either as patient or caregiver – can attest to the problems and confusions this causes.

This of course has led many to try and offer individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome some subtle clues to observe. For example, caregivers often suggest to children that if an adult is not talking to them and if they are not addressing the adult, there is no reason to look at them. This might cause teachers to believe that children are inattentive in class, when honestly they are simply attempting to avoid the appearance of staring.

Children with Asperger’s Syndrome are also taught to look at those to whom they are speaking or who are addressing them, but even in so doing there are some subtle rules to be observed. The right amount of eye contact depends on the length of the interaction, and a child is made to understand that looking up and then onto the ground is considered a sign of shyness; conversely, if they are looking at the person and then to the side, they give the appearance of being furtive.

On the other hand, if the child were to keep eye contact the entire time that a person is talking to them, there is a good chance that they might be considered aggressive or even challenging to the speaker, and it might result in an unpleasant conversation. If the individual with Asperger’s Syndrome is older, the intense eye contact may also be misconstrued as an inappropriate sign of interest of a sexual nature, and this may result in unwanted attention or an elimination of a contact, simply because of a misunderstanding.

Caregivers work long and hard with those who have Asperger’s Syndrome and there is unfortunately no way to get things completely right, all the time. Even the role playing games that the very young enjoy have some serious limitations and so sometimes serve to confuse matters more than they actually solve. Nonetheless, there is a good chance that individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome who practice and role play have a better way at mastering eye contact than those who do not.

The key advantage is the training opportunities provided by those individuals who know about the manifestations of Asperger’s Syndrome and do not feel uncomfortable helping the youngsters in their practice. They actually provide a most valuable and crucial service that simply cannot be replaced with even the most well intentioned, theoretical training. Although copious books seek to mimic the right responses, there is nothing that takes the place of real life interaction and for those who would attempt to learn only in theory make serious mistakes later on.

Dealing with the Deceptive Genius of Asperger's Syndrome

Children diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome were called little professors by Dr. Asperger. This hearkens back to their ability to focus in on one subject and then learn all there is to know about it. They may read, study, hypothesize on their own, or simply take ownership of the topic in a variety of different ways. This unfortunately also points to the deceptive genius of Asperger’s Syndrome: learning by rote.

Those diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome have the singular ability to learn long lists of facts and even complex items simply through memorization. Unfortunately, they may not actually understand what they have learned, and therefore no real learning took place. Instead, the process could be compared unfavorable to someone learning a complex issue by rote in a foreign language. Although she or he may sound very knowledgeable and come across very convincing, the individual most likely does not understand what it being said.

Dealing with the deceptive genius of Asperger’s Syndrome requires a bit of savvy and also a good knowledge of the student. As a teacher you must learn to look past the unusually large vocabulary that so many students with the condition possess, and you also need to understand that the distinct way of speaking is not synonymous with expertise. Instead, it is simply one of the symptoms of the condition and a byproduct of the mechanics of the disease.

To this end, teachers need to know to ask for information in a number of different ways. For example, you may laud your student’s ability to recite the exact phrasing in the text books, but then ask what this means. Conversely, when explaining a subject matter, use two or three different ways of looking at the situation and then explain it in as many different ways. This fosters the understanding that there are different ways to look at a problem and if one way does not reward the student with success, another way might actually make a problem a lot easier to understand.

On the other hand, a mistake often made by novice teachers who have never encountered a child with Asperger’s Syndrome is to assume that genius in things mathematical automatically transfer to other subjects. Such teachers are frequently quite surprised to find out that instead of also dealing with a genius at literature, they are instead finding that they are face to face with someone who is not able to draw even the simplest conclusions from a fictional passage. This goes back to the inability of an Asperger’s Syndrome child to read between the lines and establish social clues, but at the same time it also points to the fact that children with this condition have one or two topics with which they will do exceptionally well while the others lag behind.

The skilled teacher will seek to draw out the child with Asperger’s Syndrome by connecting areas of interest with those in which the child shows a weakness. This of course offers a whole new possibility for class work.

Did You Know This About Asperger's Syndrome?

Asperger's Syndrome is a relatively new syndrome and there is always something new being discovered about it. Unless you are up-to-date on current events in the medical field, you may have missed something about this syndrome.

Asperger's Syndrome (AS) is an autism spectrum disorder. Which simply means that Asperger's Syndrome is one of many distinct group of neurological conditions linked to autism by characteristics such as impaired language and communication skills, and obsession. There are many treatments for Asperger's Syndrome and the prognosis is good for those who suffer from it especially if the diagnosis is made early on in life.

Asperger's Syndrome is a developmental disorder. This particular disorder has impairment in both language and in communication. The individual may also experience repetitive or restrictive patterns in though and behavior.

Asperger's Syndrome may also have been misdiagnosed as Classic autism, Rett syndrome, Childhood disintegrative disorder, pervasive developmental disorder and PDD.

There are some similarities between kids with Autism and those with Asperger's Syndrome. One distinction is that children with AS retain their early language skills.

Symptoms of Asperger's Syndrome which may be recognized by individuals who suffer from Asperger's Syndrome include repetitive rituals or routines, peculiarities in either the speech or the language of the child in question, problems with nonverbal communications, and clumsy and uncoordination of motor movements. Because children with Asperger's Syndrome already feel isolated it is important that when we visit in order to make assessments that we treat them with care as we remember that they often have difficulty relating to others we will have to have a lot of patience as we gather information needed to assess the symptoms.

Did you know that children might feel so isolated by their poor communication and social skills that when an assessment is done inappropriate behavior, eccentric behavior, and observations of motor skills such as gait can be observed at a distance or by close observation in such a way as to not disturb the child?

Did you know that there is not just one magic pill that will solve all the problems associated with Asperger's Syndrome? Did you know that it is best that all therapies are coordinated and did you know that the earlier the intervention takes place the better for the child?

The most effective treatment plan may indeed be a combination of treatments and training that builds one skill on another and also builds upon the child's interests. The most effective treatments for those suffering from Asperger's Syndrome will teach in step concepts so that the individual can learn in a manner that is effective for them. Proper behavior needs to be enforced so that it builds upon other successes to reinforce behavior.