Question

Can you help me with behavior management for teenagers with Aspergers in mainstream school ( interrupting, joking, attention seeking )?

Answer

Social boundaries are not always understood by teens with Asperger’s.  Teenagers as a whole may have difficulty with these concepts; however, the teen with Asperger’s may have a tougher time understanding how his behavior is disruptive or unacceptable.  Teens with Asperger’s struggle to understand how to control their feelings.  Anger, stress, anxiety, and frustration can build quickly.  This can cause inappropriate behaviors as the teen strains to maintain control.  Other times the teen may act improperly without realizing what has happened.  Here are some commonly used treatment options.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy

Cognitive-behavioral therapy is a time controlled intense therapy that is based on the belief that a person’s individual thoughts are the cause of his behavior.  In other words, the people around you and the situations that occur are not the cause, but an effect.  Since this is the reality, a person should then be able to change the outcome of actions and feelings by changing the way they think about them, and not by changing the situations. 

Individual counseling

Much like Cognitive-behavioral therapy, a trained professional counselor will attempt to develop a relationship with the teen with Asperger’s.  Teenagers can benefit from the one-on-one of basic counseling sessions that deal directly with the whys and hows of emotions and actions.  This type of therapy may last for years.

Without strong support at home, Asperger’s teenagers may not make much progress with dealing with emotions and poor behavior.  Any therapy will include homework.  Some families, either by choice or desire, may choose to handle the teen years without the assistance of private therapy.   In many instances, this can be an acceptable alternative.  There are many resources available to parents of teens with Asperger’s Syndrome.

If you are looking for some guidance to help your Asperger’s teenager at home, here is an example of the types of resources available.  “A 5 is Against the Law!  Social Boundaries:  Straight Up!  An honest guide for teens and young adults”, by Kari Dunn Buron is a book that was built on the 5-point scale of behavior (also developed by Kari Dunn Buron).  This book could also be used without parental input. 

Thanks for reading,

Dave Angel

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Articles and video posted this week at The Parenting Aspergers Community

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How to help a child with Aspergers prepare for college? Is there help provided by colleges/universities for these students?

Upon reaching high school, the time comes to plan the future of the teen with Aspergers. College is an achievable option for many teens with Aspergers Syndrome. It is a good idea to begin planning early so your child has the proper support and the skills he needs in order to be successful. Some parents begin preparations as young as the late middle school age, while others feel it is safe to hold off until the first couple of years of high school…

To read the full article go to: –

http://www.parentingaspergerscommunity.com/members/633.cfm

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Is there something I can do to help eliminate my 4-year old grandson’s impulsive reactions; i.e., he sometimes walks up and slaps his dad in the face, and has a smile while doing it.

Children with Aspergers Syndrome often act impulsively. Impulsive acts that we commonly see are those that inflict pain, those that we normally consider mischievous, or those that seem like untrained, bad behavior. Impulsive acts are usually what cause judgment toward the parents of children with Aspergers, as well as judgment of the child himself…

To read the full article go to: –

http://www.parentingaspergerscommunity.com/members/632.cfm

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Aspergers Video – Aspergers and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

This is a video of a young man with Asperger’s Syndrome and OCD attempting to explain to his viewers the differences between the obsessions of these two conditions. He explains that the OCD obsessions are fear based and cause anxiety, while the Asperger’s obsessions are pleasure based and increase calm feelings. He also mentions that it is common for people on the spectrum to have both of these conditions. Running Time: 4 minutes, 30 seconds…

To watch the full video go to: –

http://www.parentingaspergerscommunity.com/members/631.cfm

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