Aspergers South Africa
Aspergers South Africa poem
I am odd, I am new. I wonder if you are too.
I hear voices in the air. I see you don’t and that’s not fair.
I want to not feel blue.
I am odd, I am new. I pretend that you are too.
I feel like a boy in outer space. I touch the stars and feel out of place
I worry what others might think. I cry when people laugh, it makes me shrink
I am odd, I am new. I understand now that so are you.
I say I feel like a castaway. I dream of a day that that’s okay.
I try to fit in, I hope that someday I do
I am odd, I am new
– 10 year old boy with Asperger’s
Children with Aspergers South Africa
Asperger’s syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism, has symptoms ranging from introversion, difficulty making connections with other people and restricted interest to name a few.
People who are not on the spectrum are always curious and intrigued by individuals who are on the spectrum as well as misinterpret or misunderstand such individuals, however have you ever stopped to wonder what individuals on the spectrum think of you and me?
Feeling alone with Aspergers South Africa
Imagine what it must be like to wonder why everyone else around you doesn’t run or jump in circles, doesn’t struggle to acknowledge social cues and understand what other people are trying to communicate to them, let alone noticing that people are communicating, unable to grasp another person’s perspective, obsesses over a certain topic, maintains a strict adherence to routines or experiences extreme sensitivity to environmental stimuli; how for any human being, it could not be an inherent need, not because it is so great but because it is so natural. However, that’s just it…we can only try and imagine what it is like to see the world through an Asperger’s child’s eyes.
Caring for children with Aspergers South Africa
As a parent or caregiver, it can be daunting and overwhelming to start thinking of how to help and approach an Asperger’s child, or whom to approach in South Africa. We at The Star Academy – a school for Autism and Related Disorder, use an evidence-based form of treatment known as Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) therapy to help support your child in all areas that they would need assistance with (such as school facilitation, academic assistance or one-on-one therapy). This is essential as disorders are interactional and have multiple levels of influence and do not exist within isolation. Thus, there is not one specific domain that is responsible for the emergence of disorders, rather they are influenced by the interaction between multiple domains of a person’s day to day experience. Therefore, creating a tailor-made ABA program for your child ensures that all the complexities associated with Asperger’s are taken into consideration, allowing us to target the interplay between your child’s multifaceted domains, providing us many opportunities to assist your child, improve their self-esteem, independence and ultimately watch them succeed. With a team of Board-Certified Autism Technicians assisting your child in all domains of their life, the possibilities are endless!
Although we can only imagine a glimpse of what the world looks like through and Asperger’s child’s eyes, we at The Star Academy are passionate, determined and dedicated to not alter their world view but rather continue to add the beautiful world they see.
– Chad Edery
