Areas Of Challenge For Kids With Asd
Are Functioning Labels Abelistic
Yes.
Just a plain and simple yes. Ableism is discrimination in favor of able-bodied persons.
You may be thinking, my doctor used the term when describing my child. Or my childs teacher used it when discussing their placement. And thats true, the term while it no longer is an official diagnosis, is still frequently used. But, that doesnt make it right.
Think of it this way what sets the functioning label? What sets the normal bar? The spectrum manifests itself in every single person differently. Why should someones ability be judged on their language or other items on the HFA checklist?
It shouldnt.
Signs And Symptoms Of High Functioning Autism
1. Repetitiveness
HFA is partly characterized by anobsession with a particular subject or activity. If you have noticed your child cannot get enough of a particular subject, it could be more than just a normal childhood love for dinosaurs or dogs.
The obsession can be positive in that it improves your childs understanding of a particular academic subject or art. The increased interest in a specific field and subsequent excellence in the area has led to many scientific and mathematical inventions. Additionally, it can be a means of finding similarly minded children to encourage social engagement and activities.
However, these obsessions can cause a negative impact as well. If the obsession is interfering with social interactions or quality of life, support services can help them use their ability to hyperfocus in more effective ways.
2. Emotional sensitivity
Individuals living with High Functioning Autism are also prone to high levels of emotional sensitivity. Slight provocations such as your use of language, noise, or even competition from siblings can ruin the whole day.
Insufficient autism awareness coupled with the fact that High Functioning Autism is challenging to detect can make many children suffer extreme emotional sensitivity. This can also lead to intense sorrow and isolation after a trauma.
If your child is easily angered by small things and unable to let it go, it may be time to see a doctor.
3. Social problems
4. Language peculiarities
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A Teachers Brief Guide To Teaching Students With High
Learn more about talents and challenges in children with high-functioning autism. Get tips on how to make your classroom welcoming and supportive, including lots of ideas for creating physical and instruictional supports, and how to use specific interests to jumpstart learning adventures with other subjects.
Strategies To Keep Lectures And Discussions On Track
While social issues are important, another challenge with HFA students can be managing their interactions in a larger classroom. Because they cant necessarily pick up on subtle voice or facial cues teachers give to modify or end a line of questioning, students with HFA or Aspergers can sometimes be perceived as interrupting or derailing lectures. Its important to know that their behavior is not intentionally rude, but that these students are not always able to understand the nuances of subtle social cues.
One technique to help with students who perseverate, blurt or interrupt lectures for questions at inappropriate times can be to give them a limited amount of tangible items that they can trade to ask a question. When the student is out of tangible items, they can write down their questions and address in conference with the teacher at a later time. This does not need to be a targeted technique and can slightly modified to encourage everyones participation in discussions.
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Dealing With Tantrums In High
Karla, my 5 year old daughter with high functioning autism, has frequent intense tantrums over the most smallest of things, especially when we are out in public! But my question is should I deal with this differently than I do with my other child who does not have the disorder?yes
- Donât let the disapproval of other people affect your response to the temper tantrum.
- Donât punish Karla.
- Keep her safe.
- Stay calm and ignore the behavior to the extent possible.
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Getting Started: Introducing Your Child To His Or Her Diagnosis Of Autism
Marci Wheeler, MSW
Many parents are fearful that labeling their child as having an autism spectrum disorder will make him or her feel broken, or that they may use their label as an excuse to give up and not try. Adults on the autism spectrum have found the opposite to be true. Giving your child information on the nature of his/her differences will give them a better understanding and the motivation that is needed to drive through challenges.
Discussing an autism spectrum diagnosis with your child is an important issue and one for which many parents seek advice. This article will focus on aspects of explaining your childs diagnosis to him or her, and provide resources that can assist and guide you.
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What Causes Aspergers Syndrome
The causes of Aspergers Syndrome are unknown. Genetics and brain abnormalities may be involved.
We do know that Aspergers Syndrome is NOT the result of a childs upbringing or poor parenting. Aspergers Syndrome is a neurobiological disorder, meaning it is just a part of the childs brain development, whose causes are not fully understood.
Can A Child Outgrow Aspergers
If the symptoms are very mild and the concerns are addressed through treatment, your childs symptoms may not be noticeable as they grow older and mature, says John Carosso, PsyD, a child psychologist and certified school psychologist at Community Psychiatric Centers at the Autism Center of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
As a child develops work-arounds and learns skills through social skills training, the deficits she has can be less noticeable and disruptive, says Eric Hollander, MD, director of the Autism and Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Program in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City. Many children learn strategies that can help them, like having a note taker in school. And with these strategies and skill gains, a child can be part of mainstream education.
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Big Kids: Holly And Andrew’s Golden Parenting Rules
Hes still reliant on his dummy and hes aggressive in social situations because he perceives an attempted greeting or hug as an attack.
But most people in our lives dont actually know about his diagnosis. This makes him, in their eyes, shy, grumpy, non-compliant and just plain difficult.
How much do you need to pay attention to kids’ developmental milestones? We find out on This Glorious Mess: Little Kids. Post continues below.
What sort of child frowns and growls at you when you pass them a shovel in the sandpit? A child who cant handle the feel of sand on his skin and who is wary of strangers because he cant predict exactly what theyre going to do.
To many children on the spectrum, the unpredictable nature of human behaviour is a source of constant concern.
Enter Charlie, 2. Neurotypical, with a dash of cheer and more than a sprinkle of charm.
Parenting him is fun. Its light. Its uncomplicated. He does the things the books say hell do, exactly when they say hell do them. His tantrums last all of three minutes.
He smiles and says hello to strangers. He has an appropriate amount of attachment to me. Hes mischievous, funny and strong-willed. Hes not exactly relaxing to be around, but hes doing all the things the other kids are doing.
The buzz of worry that accompanies my every move with Jack just disappears when Im with Charlie.
You have the mental bandwidth to look up and notice the barista smile at you and you smile back. Its so straightforward.
Negative Reactions To Certain Sounds Smells Textures
One of the biggest signs that I hear of high functioning autism is when your child has negative reactions to certain sounds, smells or textures.
So for sounds, if your child has a very difficult time with loud noises or needs everything to be very loud this is common for autistic children.
And if your child is bothered by smells to a point where it seems unbearable. .
Lastly, if your child only likes certain textures and can not handle other textures, this is a possible sign of high functioning autism. My children and I have several texture issues especially when it comes to foods.
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The Association Between Parental Hrql And Child Behaviour Characteristics In The As/hfa Group
Parental HRQL was not related to the parent or teacher-rated ASSQ scores of the child. Further, there were significant relationships between maternal HRQL and SDQ scores of the child .3). Higher PCS-12 score indicating better physical health of the mother was related to a higher teacher-rated prosocial behaviour score, i.e. better social competence of the child. Further, a higher MCS-12 score indicating better mental health of the mother was related to higher scores of parent-rated prosocial behaviour, and lower scores of parent-rated hyperactivity and conduct problems in the child. There was no association between paternal MCS-12/PCS-12 scores and SDQ scores of the child.
Causes Of Anger In High
Although each case of autism is different,there are several common causes of anger in high-functioning autistic children:
Being overwhelmed by multiple tasks
Anyone with autism, including high-functioning autistic children, can get easily overwhelmed and frustrated when asked to perform several tasks at the same time. This is particularly the case when a new task is combined with the routine one and when tasks need prioritizing.
Sensory overload
Children with autism have fragile sensory systems that can easily get overloaded. Responding with anger outbursts and aggressive behaviors is sometimes simply an automatic reaction to being physically uncomfortable in situations that cause sensory overload.
Feeling helpless
All the unwritten rules and unpredictabilities of daily life may be hard to navigate for autistic children, regardless of their level of functioning. They dont always fully understand what is going on around them and act out aggressively out of frustration.
Changes in routine
Children on the autism spectrum can become distressed when their routines are changed. Unexpected events like having to take a different route to school or eat a different type of breakfast cereal can increase the childs anxiety levels. The feelings of confusion and helplessness may cause a meltdown.
Other peoples behavior
Intolerance of imperfections in others
Stress and anxiety
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I Have High Functioning Autism
I spent my entire life struggling to know why I was so different from everyone else. I was born in the 90s and back then only boys seemed to have high functioning autism. In fact, my younger brother was diagnosed with high functioning autism as a small child.
The reason that girls are often overlooked is that girls mature faster than boys and they usually have a better ability to adapt to their situations and blend in.
However, once I had my first child and she started to have symptoms of autism, I was later tested and diagnosed with high functioning autism at 26 years old. Now as an adult I have had to learn more about how to handle my symptoms. Being diagnosed literally changed my life, but I really wish I had been diagnosed as a child so I could have received therapy and understanding.
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High Functioning Autism Symptoms
- Fixation on Particular Subjects or Ideas
- Linguistic Oddities
- Development of Repetitive or Restrictive Habits
- Dislike of Change
- Focus on Self
- Unusual Movement Patterns
Diagnosis rates for autism continue to rise, especially as parents and professionals become more familiar with the symptoms of high-functioning autism. Many patients are getting the assistance they need to live full, productive lives because their unusual behaviors are no longer seen as simple social awkwardness or eccentricity. As more caring medical and mental health professionals learn to recognize the most common symptoms of autism, the number of interventions available to people with autism will rise.
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Your Autistic Childs Loneliness Is Hard On You As Their Parent
We recognize that as their parent, you want them to succeed and fit in. It is hard to watch them struggle. However, this may cause you to overcorrect and step-in when your child is capable of advocating for their own needs. This may also cause you to push your child and put pressure of them to do things that they are not emotionally ready for. In my many years of experience as an autism therapist, I often see a parents over-eager behavior cause their child to doubt their self-worth and make socialization even harder.
In this blog, I offer some suggestions on ways autism parents can help their autistic child cope with loneliness and foster positive self-esteem. These skills will help your child find self-acceptance and self-compassion which will help them cope with social anxiety, depression, and combat loneliness.
Check out this blog here:
Warning Signs Of High Functioning Autism In Children
by Heather | Apr 19, 2020 | Autism – Special Needs |
Whether you are familiar with autism or not, its very likely that you know or have met someone who has autism spectrum disorder. When people think of autism, they often picture a child who cannot speak or care for themselves.
Of course, that is autism, but one thing thats not as well known is that autism spectrum disorder has a very broad set of symptoms and characteristics.
There are also several different functioning levels of autism including mild, moderate, and severe. However, these levels also have a wide variety of symptoms that can be different for each person.
Now, your childs doctor is looking out for any signs of severe autism by keeping an eye on their developmental progress. So if they are behind on walking, talking, and etc, those could be signs of autism.
However, when you have a child who is high functioning autistic, they can slip through the cracks because the signs may not be quite as obvious.
This page may contain affiliate links, however, I will never recommend anything that I do not believe in and use myself. You can read more about my disclosure policy here.
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College Students: Building A Social Network
One of my favorite groups to work with at my autism therapy clinic in Palo Alto is neurodiverse college students and young adults with autism who are transitioning to college. Thats why I chose to do a three-part blog series on common challenges and resources for college students with ASD.
Many of my clients report that the first three weeks of college life was the hardest for them. I would argue that this is true for most college freshmen, but its especially difficult when you have autism. Making friends when youre on the spectrum is hard, especially if you dont have a concrete set of social skills to draw from. Additionally, changes such as a lack of structure, homesickness, and not being able to rely on your parents as advocates can be overwhelming for many autistic college students.
In this blog, I offer suggestions on how to remedy these issues and build a social network. This includes things like joining organizations or activities that align with your interests, creating or joining study groups, and more.
Additionally, the therapy team at Open Doors Therapy offers a social skills group that is just for neurodiverse college students. And, we offer a summer intensive for incoming college freshmen with autism.
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Who Is This Childhood Asperger Syndrome Quiz For
Below is a list of questions that relate to life experiences common among children with Asperger syndrome , a less severe form of autism spectrum disorder . Children or teenagers with Aspergers have difficulties relating to others socially and understanding social situations and subtle forms of communication like body language. This quiz is designed to be taken by parents who are concerned that their child might have Aspergers.
Please read each question carefully, and indicate how often your child has experienced the same or similar challenges in the past few months. Please be aware that some behaviors are developmentally appropriate for young children and not signs of autism.
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As Autism Awareness Increases Across The Country More Parents Are Gaining An Understanding That Their Kids Are Not Just Socially Awkward Or Late Bloomers But That They Are Living With An Autistic Spectrum Disorder
There are different levels of disability on the Spectrum. Asperger Syndrome and High Functioning Autism are the mildest. HFA, though no longer an accepted medical term, refers to a wide range of neurodevelopmental disorders and is quite similar to AS. However, the two can be differentiated by specific characteristics more commonly associated with one than the other. If you are concerned your child may be living with HFA, understanding the distinct signs and symptoms of HFA may help you decide if you need to look for treatment for autism in Little Rock.