What is Aspergers

Aspergers

What is Aspergers? To most people without awareness, they will think of the 1988 movie, “Rainman” where the main actor is portrayed as an adult with Autism or Aspergers. Naively misguided due to a large gap in awareness, society has put a stereotypical labels on those with Aspergers. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) which also classifies Aspergers as a mild form of Autism, people with Aspergers can include but not limited to the following symptoms:

  • difficulty making friends of the same age, children with ASD may feel more comfortable with adults or much younger children
  • engages in one-sided, long-winded conversations, without noticing if the listener is still listening or trying to change the subject
  • displays unusual nonverbal communication, such as lack of eye contact, few facial expressions, or awkward body postures and gestures
  • does not empathize with or seems insensitive to others’ feelings and has a hard time “reading” other people or may have difficulty understanding humour
  • doesn’t understand the give-and-take of conversation or engage in “small talk”
  • seems egocentric or self-absorbed
  • may speak in a voice that is monotone, rigid, jerky or unusually fast
  • may be extremely literal or have difficulty understanding the nuances of language, despite having a good vocabulary

Many parents with children with Aspergers are caught in a catch 22 situation. On one hand they children exceeds the intellectuals abilities compared to their peers but also face social, motor and sensory processing challenges. The Star Academy provide advance programming services to help the child with Aspergers manage and control such challenging behaviours. Children with Aspergers can recovery. It is possible for a person with Aspergers to live a normal life.

It is also possible for your child with Aspergers to attend a mainstream schooling system with the help of many highly trained instructors at the Star Academy. We offer in school facilitation or shadowing to offer a person with Aspergers to navigate the many hurdles at school. The schooling environment for people with Aspergers can be daunting and anxiety can result from the inadequate skills needed. Typical children navigate this daily however persons with Aspergers are fighting so much more than just their own internal concerns. With adequate support and consistent interventions, a person with Aspergers can ultimately functioning within their own environment.

For parents with a child with Aspergers, there is hope for recovery, there is hope for the future and there is hope for a better life. Awareness and information is the key in changing society. Resource yourself with what is available and make the change today. The clock is ticking against us and early intervention for a child with Aspergers is the way forward. Give your child with Aspergers the best chance they can get.

– Nicole Mtshali

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