I would like more information about adults with Aspergers.
Question
I would like more information about adults with Aspergers. My son has just turned 21 and has little prospects of a job because of the way he views the world. I need lots more information so that I can help him in the future.
Answer
Due to advancements in diagnostics, it is becoming easier to find information regarding adult Asperger’s Syndrome. The information needed by parents of young children with Asperger’s is quite different from the information needed by parents of adult children with Asperger’s Syndrome. Children are being diagnosed younger and are offered therapies and treatments that may not have been available for young adults such as your son.
Adult Asperger’s is quite complex. As you mentioned, Asperger’s can interfere in every area of life including job or career opportunities, relationships, even basic daily living skills. As you know, people with Asperger’s are very intelligent, yet struggle with social communication, inflexible thinking, sensory integration problems, and poor motor skills. Without medical, emotional, and educational treatments, adulthood can prove to be awkward and complicated. Here are some thoughts that may help you.
Psychological, neurological, and medical treatments are very useful for all people with Asperger’s Syndrome. These professionals can test for underlying problems and treat them in addition to the Asperger’s Syndrome. Common treatment plans include counseling, medication for seizure activity, anxiety, depression, hyperactivity, plus the following skills therapies:
* Social skills training to help create and sustain relationships.
* Coping skills/cognitive therapy to deal with emotions, feelings, and behavior.
* Self-care skills to learn the importance of regular medical check ups and personal hygiene.
* Daily living skills to learn how to live independently with success.
* Sensory integration therapy to lessen the effects of hyper or hypo-sensitivities.
Finally, look for books and videos that focus on adult Asperger’s at your local public library or bookstore. Many of these books are written specifically to parents, while others are written directly to the individual with Asperger’s Syndrome. Books such as, “Asperger Syndrome: An Owner’s Manual 2 For Older Adolescents and Adults: What You, Your Parents and Friends, and Your Employer, Need to Know”, by Ellen S. Heller Korin, M.Ed. can be extremely informative. This is an interactive workbook that covers the issues mentioned above, and would be the perfect tool for your family.
Thanks for reading,
Dave Angel
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I need help. My son is a really high functioning Aspie 11 year old…so high functioning that he scores too high on speech tests to qualify for speech therapy. The school is giving him weekly sessions just to shut me up, but the therapist doesn’t believe there is an issue and the sessions are non-value added. To top it off, my son doesn’t know about his diagnosis and is fighting me every step of the way. Any suggestions?
Comment by marisela perez-dunehew — December 7, 2010 @ 4:04 pm
I grew up knowing I was different from others (now 77 yrs) and definitions of Asperger’s now describes my symptoms well. I was very lucky in the navy and afterward knowing that working with equipment was far more satisfying than working with people. My wife helps with social interactions and I am now retired from an electrical engineering career. Working with digital logic which could be depended on working related to definite rules allowed my success.
Comment by Arthur Moorcroft — December 8, 2010 @ 8:52 am
I am the mother of a 35 yo undiagnosed son who seems to have aspergers syndrom. He is very high functioning. Doing very well and just got his masters in PA. He is married to a wonderful girl for 7 yrs, who is a nurse. She wants to start a family. He,so far, always has an excuse. He can’t do two things at one time. What should she do or say to agree and stick to the agreement.I hate that he hs the ability to control the situation. She doesn’t deserve tis and she lives far from her family.
Comment by susan quaranta — December 14, 2010 @ 1:12 pm
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Having a BIP (Behavioral Intervention Plans) and a FBA (Functional Behavioral Analysis) that contain authentic
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is Autism. Keep your body relaxed the legs at the top of the
head.
Comment by autism and music therapy — October 23, 2014 @ 10:19 am