Educating The Student With Asperger syndrome

Persons with Asperger syndrome share some of the same characteristics as individuals with autism, and there is debate on whether Asperger syndrome is an independent diagnostic category or another dimension at the higher end of the autistic continuum (Szatmari, 1995). Although Asperger syndrome shares some characteristics with higher-functioning autism, there are some unique features, and a different developmental progression and prognosis (Myles & Simpson, 1998) for individuals with AS.

According to DSM-IV (1994) criteria, the child must meet the criteria for social impairment, repetitive activities and age of onset, but have normal cognitive and language development. Asperger syndrome involves fewer symptoms than autism.

Learning and Behavioural Characteristics of Students with Asperger syndrome

Asperger syndrome is characterized by a qualitative impairment in social interaction. Individuals with Asperger syndrome may be keen to relate to others, but do not have the skills, and may approach others in peculiar ways (Klin & Volkmar, 1997). They frequently lack understanding of social customs and may appear socially awkward, have difficulty with empathy, and misinterpret social cues. Individuals with Asperger syndrome are poor incidental social learners and need explicit instruction in social skills. Although children with Asperger syndrome usually speak fluently by five years of age, they often have problems with pragmatics (the use of language in social contexts), semantics (not being able to recognize multiple meanings) and prosody (the pitch, stress, and rhythm of speech) (Attwood, 1998).> Students with Asperger syndrome may have an advanced vocabulary and frequently talk incessantly about a favourite subject. The topic may be somewhat narrowly defined and the individual may have difficulty switching to another topic.

They may have difficulties with the rules of conversation. Students with Asperger syndrome may interrupt or talk over the speech of others, may make irrelevant comments and have difficulty initiating and terminating conversations.

Speech may be characterised by a lack of variation in pitch, stress and rhythm and, as the student reaches adolescence, speech may become pedantic (overly formal).

Social communication problems can include standing too close, staring, abnormal body posture and failure to understand gestures and facial expressions. The student with Asperger syndrome is of average to above average intelligence and may appear quite capable. Many are relatively proficient in knowledge of facts, and may have extensive factual information about a subject that they are absorbed with. However, they demonstrate relative weaknesses in comprehension and abstract thought, as well as in social cognition. Consequently, they do experience some academic problems, particularly with reading comprehension, problem solving, organisational skills, concept development, and making inferences and judgments. In addition, they often have difficulty with cognitive flexibility. That is their thinking tends to be rigid. They often have difficulty adapting to change or failure and do not readily learn from their mistakes (Attwood, 1998). It is estimated that 50%-90% of people with Asperger syndrome have problems with motor coordination (Attwood, 1998). The affected areas may include locomotion, ball skills, balance, manual dexterity, handwriting, rapid movements, lax joints, rhythm and imitation of movements. Individuals with Asperger syndrome share common characteristics with autism in terms of responses to sensory stimuli. They may be hypersensitive to some stimuli and may engage in unusual behaviours to obtain a specific sensory stimulation. Individuals with Asperger syndrome may also be inattentive and easily distracted and many receive a diagnosis of ADHD at one point in their lives (Myles & Simpson, 1998). Anxiety is also a characteristic associated with Asperger syndrome. It may be difficult for the student to understand and adapt to the social demands of school. Appropriate instruction and support can help to alleviate some of the stress.

Strategies for Teachers

Many of the strategies for teaching students with autism are applicable for students with Asperger syndrome. The professional literature often does not differentiate between high-functioning autism and Asperger syndrome when outlining recommended practices. However, it is important to give consideration to the unique learning characteristics, to provide support when needed, and to build on the students many strengths.

The following identifies the specific learning difficulty and suggests a number of possible classroom strategies:

Adapted from Attwood (1998), Donnelly & Levy (1995), Grandin (1998), Moreno & O'Neal (1997), Myles & Simpson (1998), Williams, (1995).