Asperger's Pros and Cons.

For the Max Gamer comic release week, I wanted to acknowledge both the pros and cons of our Aspie heroes.  While Aspies are awesome, a downside should not be ignored...

The Yikes!

1. Change can be bad (try signaling change in advance and use calendars as much as possible - visuals are the key and routines can make life much easier).
2. Sensory issues are real (look for sensory friendly theaters, build sensory issues into 504 and IEP plans and feel free to cut those tags out of their shirts).
3. Middle School is scary (while our little professors are fun prior to the age of 8, other kids become annoyed with them sooner or later - social skills groups are the key).
4. Generalize! (I may learn something at home but not get it at school).  The trick is learning again and again in new situations and building a variety of scripts which apply across multiple settings.

The Awesomeness!

1. They are our little professors and let them have fun and socialize with family and friends.  Even around topics which may be above their heads including civil war history and paleontology.
2. Your computer ailing you?  Many of these guys can solve your computer problems and teach you new ways of computing.  Parents and neighbors, give them a chance!
3. Specific interests.  These girls and guys can point you to new horizons including the coolest new holiday toys (bay blades) and which star wars toys to purchase and which to avoid.
4. Aspies are unconditional love acceptors.  Show them their value, share their talents with others, and encourage them to pursue their dreams.  You will have an incomparable goal directed friend who will keep you ahead of everyone.  Examples:  http://www.wired.com/   http://www.geek.com/   http://blastr.com/

Frank Gaskill "Dr. G"



Aspie Girl Power!

Boys aren’t the only ones with Asperger’s although they are three to four times more likely to have it than girls are.  Here are some traits and interests of Aspie girls that set them apart from the boys:

Oscar-Worthy Actresses

Aspie girls are great at observing, imitating, and modeling others’ behaviors.  Facial expressions, movements, sayings, and tone of voice are traits they can emulate.  This helps them fly under the radar and fit in with their peers better. 

Good Social Skill Learners (faster than boys!)

Due to their abilities to carefully observe and imitate others, girls are able to learn more quickly how to behave in specific social interactions.  They also tend to have more supportive and nurturing peer groups that allow opportunities to learn and practice social skills. 

Loyal Friends

We should all be so lucky to have a friend who is an Aspie girl.  While she may have her awkward moments and her own interests, she is a friend through and through.  Aspie girls like to make others happy, apologize for their mistakes, and spend quality one-on-one time with their friends.

Special Interests

The interests and expertise of these fine ladies include, but aren’t limited to: Animé, theater, animals, computers, dolls, Shakespeare, engineering, Star Wars, fan fiction, and fantasy.

So while they may be a little harder to find, Aspie girls are also awesome and bring a whole new set of gifts to the Asperger’s table. 

- Dr. Jessica Bloomfield

When You Are Calm, You Are Smart.

“Fear is the main emotion of autism”
Temple Grandin

"Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering. I sense much fear in you..."

 Yoda

Imagine being in a foreign country where you don’t understand the language, don’t know the customs and don’t have a map.  Confused? Anxious?  Helpless?  Scared? Panicked? 

This is how someone with Asperger’s frequently feels in the social world which is unpredictable, constantly changing, and challenging to translate.   The stress can be directly related to the number of people in the room.  The more people, the greater the anxiety.

Conquer the fear.  Master the skill.

Social skills therapy and training is only part of the answer.  You can’t execute a new social skill if your anxiety and fear is in the way.  Here are 5 tips to conquer fear and anxiety:

1.     Take deep breaths.  Breath slowly through the nose, hold for 2 seconds and exhale slowly out the mouth.  Feel cold air going in, warm air going out.

2.     Repeat a saying in your head.  As you inhale and exhale to help wash away worries, try repeating a phrase.  Try something like “Calm feelings in. Fear out.”

3.     Move your muscles. Stretch your arms and legs while seated or get up and take a brief walk around.  Fresh air can help a lot.

4.     Take a break and relax with a special interest.  Take a 5 or 10 minute break before or during a social situation doing a favorite activity, such as Lego’s, drawing, playing video games or reading.

5.     Talk about it. Telling someone how you feel helps decrease anxiety and the person may also help you find a solution.

Mary B. Moore, LCSW

5 Reasons Why Aspie Kids Rock!

1.   Intelligent

Most people who are diagnosed with Asperger’s have IQ’s that are higher than average people. Aspies are able to figure out problems very quickly, and they are able to see how things work in a different way.

2.   Sincere

People with Asperger’s are usually trustworthy and very dependable. Because they are not in tune with the enormous social pressures the rest of us are constantly aware of, they are able to be straightforward and honest with their motives. Aspies typically don’t buy into the social games that all of us are consumed with on a daily basis.

3.   Accepting

Aspies really don’t care much about superficial things like wealth, attractiveness, intelligence, etc. They look past things like that and actually learn about the person underneath – they are much more concerned about whether or not you share interests with them. Even if you don’t share their interest, they will still immediately accept you and will love to tell you all about their special topic.

4.   Passion

Don’t you wish that you could sit down and focus on something for hours and hours and absolutely love every minute of it? People with Asperger’s have a unique ability to get lost in a single activity for endless amounts of time, and not only be entertained, but also are genuinely overjoyed and enthusiastic the entire time.  Lego's are cool these days because of Aspie Nation!

5.   Talent

Because Aspies are able to focus on a certain activity or hobby for so long, they get really good at it! A lot of the “experts” in a given field can be diagnosed with Asperger’s. Albert Einstein, Benjamin Franklin, Teddy Roosevelt, and Leonardo Da Vinci are just a few examples.

-Jo Perry, Undergrad Pepperdine University and Southeast Psych Intern

Managing Your Feelings: Knowing when and when not to respond...

Being an Aspie definitely has its perks, but reading people’s intentions and reacting appropriately can be very tough for kids like Max. Have you ever seen your child overreact to being brushed up against by a peer, or have you seen them under react to someone hurting them?

It’s helpful to use a color coded system like the one seen here to teach younger Aspies which offenses deserve their attention and which ones do not.  As a parent, you can make a system designed around your child’s specific needs. The next step is to review their code with them. Talk about what constitutes a lower level offense (yellow) versus a higher level offense (orange or red) and how to react to each. For example, if it’s a yellow, "Ignore it," and if it’s a red, "Tell an adult!"  Later, if you see them overreact to a small remark, you can say, "I saw Sally do a yellow, but you acted like it was a red."  What they need to learn is that their reactions should match the level of the offense. So, another example of this would be if you see your child just stand there while another kid bullies him or her, you could say, "When Mark kicked you. That was a red, but you acted like it was a yellow."  Teachers can also benefit from seeing the color-coded system you use with your child so that they can reinforce the system in the classroom.


Dr. Lauren King

10 Aspies Who Changed History

Dr. Temple Grandin stated in a lecture I recently attended, "Without AS people, we would all be sitting in a cave somewhere socializing by a fire."  I would go further and say that without AS people, that cave wouldn't have a fire in the first place.  They likely discovered it and created matches.  The following are a 10 AS people who changed history.

1.   Thomas Jefferson

2.   Albert Einstein

3.   Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

4.   Henry Ford

5.   Herman Melville

6.   Benjamin Franklin

7.   Sir Isaac Newton

8.   Charles Darwin

9.   Marie Curie

10. Vincent Van Gogh