Hi - and welcome to the first post on the Parenting Aspergers Blog.

I strongly recommend that you read the section on the blog called “How To Use This Blog” in order to understand fully how best to benefit from this blog.

By the time your child reaches the age where he or she is going to school, you’ll have several years of experience figuring out what works and what doesn’t work in managing your Aspergers syndrome child.

While your child’s teacher understands the fundamentals of teaching, he or she will be lacking in crucial information about your child and what works best in certain circumstances. This means that you have information to share with the teacher, and the time to do that is before or very near the time the child enters the classroom.You’ll want to share information on your child’s diagnosis and his or her normal level of functioning. If your child has a normal or above normal IQ, tell the teacher that your child has the cognitive ability to succeed under the right circumstances. Talk about visual learning and the fact that children with Asperger’s syndrome learn through pictures and are less likely to learn through auditory awareness or through letters and words.

You’ll also want to talk to the teacher about those things that set your child off, including any obsessions or compulsive behavior your child exhibits. If your child still has temper tantrums, talk about how to manage them and how to avoid them, if possible.

Tell your child’s teacher that you can be available as a resource for the teacher. Try to have a phone number at which you can be reached for any impromptu issues that arise during the course of the day. Make a deal with the teacher that allows you to attend class on the first few days of the school year or when things get difficult. Not only will that help your child adjust to school, it will aid the teacher in the process of getting to know your child.

Maintain that teacher-parent alliance throughout the school year in order to have the best chance of your child learning and thriving within the structure of the classroom.

This is just one of the many tips and techniques for helping your Asperger’s child that features in the book “The Parenting Asperger’s Resource Guide”. Which you can learn more about by visiting www.parentingaspergers.com/