Aspergers Syndrome: Frequently Asked Questions

There aren't any treatments for Aspergers that will make it "go away. " However, by using a combination of approaches that address the three core symptoms of the disorder (poor communication skills, obsessive or repetitive routines and physical clumsiness); you can help your child live a fairly normal life. It's also important to start treatment as early as possible. ...

Experts believe that Aspergers and autism have underlying biological causes, but are not clear yet on what those causes are. They do know that there are certain brain structure abnormalities, but do not know why they occur.

Aspergers Syndrome, named for Hans Asperger, an Austrian physician, is a milder form of autistic disorder. Both conditions are part of a larger group of neurological disorders known in the US as Pervasive Developmental Disorders, or PDD for short. The 2 most common symptoms are eccentric behavior and self-imposed social isolation. Sometimes speech is affected as well as gait and motor skills. Your child may also be exclusively focused on a particular area of interest, such as cars or astronomy. ...

Unfortunately, there is no cure for this condition, and children do not "grow out" of it either. It is likely that your child will always find social situations and personal relationships to be challenging. But many adults with Aspergers are able to live healthy, productive lives, although they may always need support to do so.

Aspergers usually begins later in childhood and has a more hopeful outlook. The child tends to function at a higher level with Aspergers too. Aspergers children tend to be clumsy, but overall have less neurological deficits than autistic children.

Diagnosis of most any mental/emotional disorder tends to be one of ruling out other conditions and noting certain patterns of behavior. There is no definitive test for Aspergers, but there are certain patterns, including: * Significant impairment in social interaction, as demonstrated by: - impaired nonverbal communication - failure to develop age-appropriate peer relationships - lack of shared enjoyment of activities/surroundings with ...

Yes, we have lots of experience working with older children. For some reason, children are frequently diagnosed with Aspergers after age 8 rather than before it. This may in part have to do with the type of thinking and organization that we expect of older children. These children usually do “OK” with concrete reasoning and simple organization, but generally have more difficulties with abstract thought, higher level organization, problem solving, and social relationships. ...

James : "Yes. I believe that children who have been diagnosed with a neurological or mental health disorder will absolutely benefit from the parenting tools and techniques in The Total TransformationŽ program. Emotional and behavioral disorders interfere with a child's self-management and problem-solving skills. So The Total TransformationŽ program is especially helpful, and indeed necessary, for children who are living with these conditions. "

I judge each student individually. My response to any parent who informs me that their child has any form of learning or behavioural difficulty is to 'give them a go' - the one month's free training is there for this very reason. Often parents have been surprised at how well their child has taken to TaeKwon-Do. It does not suit everyone. ...