Welcome to this week’s blog post which examines how to teach children with Aspergers.

But before the article I wanted to let you know some EXCITING NEWS.

I am currently working on a new big project that will offer even greater help, support and information for all parents of children with Aspergers.

It will allow parents to link up like never before in a real community environment where people can share problems, offer advice and strike up friendships.

It will also have tons of great new information with articles, video, audio recordings and lots more; which will all be offering very specialist advice and guidance on all things Aspie.

I am at the early planning stages at the moment and will be hoping to get your help in the next few weeks, when I put together more plans and a survey to find out what you really need and want.

So watch out for that…

Anyway this week’s post will cover the following question:

I’d love to see some information about how to teach in a way that an Asperger’s mind will absorb, particularly rote facts such as math measurements and such. I’d also love more information about teaching basic social skills, manners, and social graces.

Asperger’s children have excellent rote memories and often show intense interest in one or two intellectual areas, such as math, transportation, history, or the characters in a television series. Sometimes the special interest is so absorbing that they ignore all other subjects. They learn every fact about the chosen topic and talk about it endlessly, whether or not their listeners are interested. The child may have little understanding of the meaning of these facts. But, if you can tie rote information into the area of interest, you may find it easy to teach him or her and the learning will be remembered. For example, if the child is interested in transportation, you might be able to involve him in measuring the length of railroad tracks or distances airplanes travel on various routes.

Often using a computer and rote learning computer games helps Aspies retain factual information. Surprisingly, Aspies often respond well to flash cards and other rote teaching methods also. Some Aspies are very good with visual memory and remember things they read or see on charts very well.

Etiquette and social graces are like a foreign language to Aspies. Social skills, such as saying “Hi” or “Good morning” or looking others in the eyes when conversing, are often taught by communication specialists or in social training groups. Imitating and practicing new skills in situations which are as realistic as possible is very effective. Skills’ training includes:

a. Learning nonverbal behaviours, such as using appropriate hand gestures, smiling, and verbal behaviours;

b. Interpretation of nonverbal behaviours of others;

c. Processing of visual information with auditory information;

d. Social awareness.

There are video lessons that teach social skills. Consider using “Model Me Conversation Cues” and “Model Me Friendship” videos, part of a set of videos that focus on social skills activities. You can find the Model Me Kids Videos at www.modelmekids.com

There is a Skillstreaming Curriculum that may help with social skills.

Another idea for teaching social skills is to set a weekly or monthly goal. The goal is to learn a specific skill and be able to apply it in a variety of situations. Here is the procedure.

Decide which skill you would like the child to learn, for example responding to the question “What’s new?”

• Teach the child the question/skill and several possible responses. Explain that there are many ways to respond. Model lots of options.
• Involve family, friends, and school staff in setting up situations that require practicing the skill.
• Develop a plan for how the questioner should prompt or respond, if the child doesn’t respond correctly.
• Keep track of the child’s responses to see if the child uses the skill consistently.
• Use a lot of praise for appropriate behaviour, especially when it is used without prompting.

The AS child may form friendships with others who share his interests. Computer or math clubs, science fairs, Star Trek clubs, etc. are possible avenues to consider. Many of these children will develop coping and social interaction skills, and the ability to “fit in” as a result. For those that don’t, counselling and social “training” may help.

Asperger’s Syndrome - Practical Strategies for the Classroom; A Teacher’s Guide is a great place to learn more on the subject. You can see more about this book by Clicking Here

This guide explains the difficulties underlying Asperger’s Syndrome and how it causes problems in school. The book provides practical, common sense management suggestions. While focusing on “making sense” of the difficulties, common behaviours are discussed and “things to try” are recommended.

All the best

Dave Angel