Hi there and welcome to this week’s Aspergers blog …

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Question

What are the best options for post high school education?

Answer

The future is looking brighter than ever for children with Asperger’s Syndrome.  As you know, children with Asperger’s are usually very intelligent, but suffer from a lack of social skills, communication abilities, and sensory issues.  The recent surge of information, education, and treatment options are starting at younger ages, increasing the chances and the choices for post high school education.

There are several secondary education options to investigate for your child with Asperger’s.  Here are several choices to research.

*    Technical or vocational schools-These schools offer career training in a relatively short amount of time, with the added benefit of being close to home.  If your child is thinking of a career in computer repair, air conditioning and heating repair, general office duties, or computer technology, a vocational school is worth a look.  Check your local schools for the programs available in your area.  Many of these schools offer federal financial aid, as well as state or local aid.

*    Community college-If your child is interested in earning an Associates degree, the local community college may be the solution.  These schools are close to home, yet offer the ‘real’ college experience.  For kids who are uncomfortable with the thought of going away to college, this alternative can give them that big school experience at a more manageable volume.

*    Specialty schools-Single concentration schools are popping up everywhere.  These schools cater to one certain specialty.  For the child with Asperger’s, special interests can mean sure success when it comes to choosing a career path.  Why not concentrate fully on that special interest after high school?  Some examples of specialty careers are culinary arts, cosmetology, graphic arts, fashion design, and animation.

*    Colleges and Universities-It is no longer unusual to find children with Asperger’s going away to a college or university in search of a higher-level degree.  These schools are starting to make necessary accommodations for students with Asperger’s, offering more assistance on campus.  Teens with Asperger’s are demonstrating their capabilities by adapting to college life quite well, as long as the preparation has been in place during high school.  Possibilities for financing their education are numerous with federal and state financial aid and scholarships.

Choosing the right school can guarantee success.  “Colleges that Change Lives: 40 schools you should know about even if you’re not a straight-A student” by Loren Pope, Director of the College Placement Bureau and author of Looking Beyond the Ivy League is a book that lists a group of colleges that have shown a proven ability to develop potential in exceptional students.  This book is necessary for anyone faced with planning a child’s post secondary education.

Preparing your child early by working on social skills, organizational skills, and living skills will ensure a successful adjustment from high school and home life to the college experience.  Finding the right post high school opportunity for your child with Asperger’s Syndrome is not only possible, it is promising.

Have a great week,

Dave Angel

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Articles posted this week at The Parenting Aspergers Community

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I have a 14-year-old granddaughter who has Asperger’s syndrome. She is very intelligent and capable but hates school. She also has ADD (not hyperactivity). Her last year helper was terrible and made things so much worse. She did really well on her yearly achievement test but the teacher read the questions to her. My question is: What is the responsibility of the school? I just don’t think they are helping her in the ways she needs help. What should her parents do?

Your granddaughter struggles with Asperger’s as well as ADD and the combination of these two factors can make school a difficult place for her to function well. Her parents need to meet with the school administration and her teachers and come up with a plan of accommodations for your granddaughter that can help her succeed in the classroom. Children with Asperger’s typically will have …To read the full article go to: -

http://www.parentingaspergerscommunity.com/members/295.cfm

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I just have started to work with adults with ASD, I work in a private home setting for an agency in my area. I would like to ask a few questions on handling situations with behaviors. Why at any given moment will they have a behavior, for no apparent reason, lashing out at a staff or another autistic person that lives there with them?

It is difficult to answer your question because there are so many reasons a person with Asperger’s could lash out at another person. Individuals with Asperger’s are all different and have different behavioral triggers, just as people without Asperger’s do. People with Asperger’s tend to have trouble in settings where there is … To read the full article go to: -

http://www.parentingaspergerscommunity.com/members/294.cfm

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Keeping him off sugars and dairy, and too much wheat, that cause Aspergers symptoms and nightly upsets in the middle of sleep periods. Can you advise?

Restricting your child’s diet can have positive effects on his overall behavior as well as his sleep habits. Most people who have children with Asperger’s Syndrome experiment with a gluten free casein free diet, which eliminates many of the grains, including wheat, and dairy from a child’s diet. There is some scientific evidence, although not conclusive, that children on the Autism Spectrum have …To read this article go to: -

http://www.parentingaspergerscommunity.com/members/293.cfm
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