PARENTING AUTISM & ASPERGER’S NEWSLETTER
VOLUME 30
April 2009

This is Dave Angel.  Welcome to the twenty-seventh edition  of “The Parenting Autism & Asperger’s Newsletter”

Inside this edition you will find:

1. Hot Topic of Discussion – Asperger’s Syndrome and Crime

2. In the News – Cambridge offers place to rejected teen with Asperger’s Syndrome

3. Prominent People Linked with ASD – Richard Ewen Borcherds, British mathematician and Fields Medalist

Thanks

Dave

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1. Hot Topic of Discussion – Asperger’s Syndrome and Crime

It has always been a hot topic for discussion whether there is a direct association between Asperger’s syndrome and violent crimes and offenses. Some media reports suggest that a person with Asperger’s Syndrome may be more likely to develop criminal behavior because of issues with social skills/communication. However, arguments from the other end of the spectrum disputes these findings, stating that people with Asperger’s Syndrome are more likely to be victims than offenders. And I have to say I am pretty much in favor of this end of the debate from personal experience.

Efforts to further increase the awareness of Asperger’s Syndrome is still needed to extend the understanding of this condition in order to recognize and avoid misconceptions and confusion. Awareness of this condition within criminal courts also has grown over the past few years and certain measures have been in effect in order to respond to the nature of Asperger’s syndrome. But it’s still a work in progress!

To read the full article, go to:  http://www.mugsy.org/connor111.htm

People mentioned as having Asperger’s Syndrome may or may not have actually have been diagnosed with it.

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2.  In the News – Cambridge offers place to teen with Asperger’s Syndrome

When Alex Goodenough, 17, applied to study at a local secondary school, his application for enrollment was refused due to his diagnosis. Hertfordshire and Essex High School and Science College rejected Alex initially because of he has Asperger’s Syndrome.

Alex, a self-taught and home schooled boy, used this experience as his motivation to excel in the math courses and physics modules he took at another regular school. His hard work and efforts were rewarded when he won a conditional offer to study Engineering at Trinity College, Cambridge.

Prior to his application to Hertfordshire, Alex was enrolled at another school where his mother also used to work.  There, Alex completed his first year of A-levels but planned to transfer to H&E which is near their Bishop’s Stratford home after his mother left her job.

The high school has offered a written apology for the unfair treatment of Alex “for a reason related to his disability”.

To read the full article, go to: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/apr/20/aspergers-school-rejection-cambridge

People mentioned as having Asperger’s Syndrome may or may not have actually have been diagnosed with it.

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3. Prominent People Linked with ASD – Richard Ewen Borcherds, British mathematician and Fields Medalist

Richard Ewen Borcherds was born on November 29, 1959 in Cape Town.  He is a British mathematician who was honored with a Fields Medal in 1998. A Fields Medal is the highest honor for a mathematician to receive. It is awarded every four years and is said to be the “Nobel Prize” of Mathematics.

Borcherds, who grew up in Birmingham, was a top student of his class and has shown potential to be a great chess player. He graduated from Cambridge University and taught in Cambridge and University of California-Berkeley after getting his doctorate. Currently, he is a Mathematics professor in Berkely.

In an interview with The Guardian, Borcherds said that he considers the possibility of him having symptoms of Asperger’s Syndrome.

To see the full text of the article go to:  http://simonsingh.net/Fields_Medallist.html

The person mentioned above may or may not have Asperger’s Syndrome.
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I hope this month’s newsletter has intrigued you and provided information new to you.

The next edition of the newsletter is due in May, 2009.

And as ever … please send in any inspirational stories that you know of, any questions that you would like our team of experts to answer, any topics that you wish to be discussed, and news stories that you want to share VIA THE BLOG.

We will publish as many as we can.

Until next month………

Best Wishes

Dave Angel

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Articles posted this week at The Parenting Aspergers Community

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My son self-mutilates and carries out other destructive behaviors and I just don’t know where to turn.

Children with autism, and sometimes those with Asperger’s Syndrome, may engage in self-injury, also known as self-harm. These actions result in physical injury to the child’s own body. Self-injury behavior includes …

To read the full article go to: -

http://www.parentingaspergerscommunity.com/members/login.cfm?hpage=241.cfm

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How can I teach my 7 year old son about dangers (e.g. strangers, road crossings, and such like)?  He has no sense of danger.

This is not uncommon in children with Asperger’s Syndrome.  Your son is so young that he may not comprehend the dangers you describe and warn him about.  Children with Asperger’s are not aware of the “social dance” that we all learn as children. We learn how to …

To read the full article go to: -

http://www.parentingaspergerscommunity.com/members/login.cfm?hpage=240.cfm

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Gluten Free Graham Cracker Cut-Out Cookies

This is one of my all-time favorite recipes, and one you can share . . .

To read the full article and recipe go to: -

http://www.parentingaspergerscommunity.com/members/login.cfm?hpage=242.cfm

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