Does your child need help to understand their autism? Your child is higher functioning and you have told them they have autism (I am including Asperger’s in this also). Now what? Every year I have higher functioning students with autism or asperger’s disorder ask if there is something they can read because they know they have autism or asperger’s but they really don’t know just what that is. Of course, I contact their parent before telling them anything and their parents are always receptive. Kids with higher functioning autism or with asperger’s disorder really want to understand why they are different. They really want to understand why they try to make friends and they have a hard time doing it. It is important that, after your child has been told that they have autism or asperger’s, they be given information to really help them understand it.
Difficulty: Moderately Challenging
Instructions
1)One terrific way to help your child understand their autism is to let them read things written by other kids with autism or asperger’s disorder.
Only someone with autism or asperger’s disorder can really give an inside perspective on it. Tony Atwood is one of the best known researchers on asperger’s disorder. On his website your can find books and articles written by kids with autism and with asperger’s disorder. You can also find books at Future Horizon’s. Some of the best books on Autism might be the ones written by Temple Grandin. She has high functioning autism. She has a Ph.D. and is a well known author on the subject. Her books should be really good to read for parents and kids both and should also be inspiring.
2)Let your child connect with other kids with autism or asperger’s disorder.
Through the Tony Attwood website, you can find a list of websites and forums that belong to people with autism or asperger’s. This is a terrific way to let your child connect to someone who really thinks that same way they do. It is important for kids with autism or asperger’s to be able to connect with other kids who think just like they do.
3)Conferences are a good way to help your older child understand their autism or asperger’s disorder.
I would not recommend a conference where your child might feel like they are talking about them. However, many conferences have speakers who have autism or asperger’s and they are explaining it in a teaching type mode. You could take your child to only that one part of the conference where they can hear that person speak. What better way to be taught about their autism or asperger’s than to be taught by someone who actually has that diagnosis? When Temple Grandin speaks at a conference you can usually find other people with asperger’s or high functioning autism there also.
4)Connect to other kids with autism or asperger’s through parent support groups.
Kids with asperger’s really want to have friends and they try hard but they have a hard time understanding why they are not successful at it. This often becomes a source of real stress for them. Kids with autism often prefer things to people, however, kids with high functioning autism still often want to fit it. They just have a different way of doing so. It is awesome too see how happy it makes them to connect with someone just like them. Connecting to the parents is a way to help the kids connect to each other also.
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