According to Barbara L. Kirby (founder of OASIS website and Co-author of The OASIS Guide To Asperger Syndrome), Asperger Syndrome or (Asperger's Disorder) is a neurobiological disorder named for a Viennese physician, Hans Asperger, who in 1944 published a paper which described a pattern of behaviors in several young boys who had normal intelligence and language development, but who also exhibited autistic-like behaviors and marked deficiencies in social and communication skills. In spite of the publication of his paper in the 1940's, it wasn't until 1994 that Asperger Syndrome was added to the DSM IV and only in the past few years has AS been recognized by professionals and parents.
Individuals with AS can exhibit a variety of characteristics and the disorder can range from mild to severe. Persons with AS show marked deficiencies in social skills, have difficulties with transitions or changes and prefer sameness. They often have obsessive routines and may be preoccupied with a particular subject of interest. They have a great deal of difficulty reading nonverbal cues (body language) and very often the individual with AS has difficulty determining proper body space. Often overly sensitive to sounds, tastes, smells, and sights, the person with AS may prefer soft clothing, certain foods, and be bothered by sounds or lights no one else seems to hear or see. It's important to remember that the person with AS perceives the world very differently. Therefore, many behaviors that seem odd or unusual are due to those neurological differences and not the result of intentional rudeness or bad behavior, and most certainly not the result of "improper parenting".
By definition, those with AS have a normal IQ and many individuals (although not all), exhibit exceptional skill or talent in a specific area. Because of their high degree of functionality and their naiveté, those with AS are often viewed as eccentric or odd and can easily become victims of teasing and bullying. While language development seems, on the surface, normal, individuals with AS often have deficits in pragmatics and prosody. Vocabularies may be extraordinarily rich and some children sound like "little professors." However, persons with AS can be extremely literal and have difficulty using language in a social context.
Do You Ever Feel Tired, Frustrated or Overwhelmed As The Parent Of An Aspergers Child?
Let’s face it being a parent to a child with Aspergers Syndrome can be tough.
One of the worst problems is that you can never really understand what is going on inside your child’s head. This makes it so difficult for you to understand their behaviour.. . .let alone be able to control it.
This can leave you feeling emotionally beat up and completely useless as a parent. You have to cope with crisis on a daily, hourly or even minute by minute basis.
You experience problems when you are at home….. …..your child may hit out at you and other family members, kick them, shout, scream, throw huge tantrums and break half the furniture.
And most of the time you have no idea why they are doing it. And at the same time you are worried sick about what affect this is having on your other children.
Also when you take your Aspergers child out into the local community no matter where you go………. ………you feel on a constant knife’s edge waiting for the next crisis to explode. Because most people don’t understand that when your child describes them as being “fat” or having a “funny looking face” they are just stating what they see as facts, not trying to being rude or smart.
But you have to diffuse the situation before it escalates into shouting, screaming or physical violence where someone gets hurt. This daily routine of feeling embarrassed in public, coping with explosive situations and worrying endlessly about your child and the rest of the family can put an unbearable strain on you……… ……there are times that you think that you can just no longer carry on as a parent.
And that’s without even mentioning the major headaches and problems that arise when your Aspergers child attends school…….
BUT don’t give up yet, there is hope. There are some simple, easy-to-use practical tips and techniques that can save you ALL that stress, worry, physical pain and embarrassment...
"The Parenting Aspergers Resource Guide" reveals to you evetrything you need to know o help your child with Aspergers through any situation that arises...
Based on interviewed with 107 families to find out what their biggest problems were, Dave Angel (Author of "The Parenting Aspergers Resource Guide") found that the main problem areas for families were:
....... Coping with their child's difficult and aggressive behaviors
....... Understanding what is really going on inside their child's head
....... How to help their child to cope better in the community and at school
....... How to keep the peace at home with the rest of the family
....... And understanding the real meaning and causes of Aspergers.
So he figured that what parents were looking for was complete and comprehensive guide packed with practical tips and explanations all about their Aspergers child And fhis guide is not some stuffy, old academic text book filled with long fancy sounding words that no-one actually understands or uses in the real world!
So that is what he has created with his colleagues and now you can read here at www.parentingaspergers.com
No comments:
Post a Comment