Many of us would shout “Eureka!” if we found a magic key that would unlock ways to motivate our children with Asperger Syndrome or similar autism spectrum disorders (ASDs).
Another summer is coming. How can you help your child use it to make things better for the next school year? If your child has Asperger Syndrome or autism, you might consider making it “the summer of social skills.”
What’s your child with Asperger Syndrome going to do for a living?
Too early to start thinking about that? Really, it's not. While your ten year old or teenager doesn’t have to immediately choose a career, he’s much more likely to find and keep a job when the time comes if you start preparing him in two important ways.
I’ve heard many parents of children with Asperger Syndrome talk about their kids’ sense of humor. This may be because a lot of humor comes from seeing things from a different perspective. Both my son, Drew, and I have Asperger Syndrome, so my wife and daughter have years of experience dealing with our intentional and unintentional comedy.
Speaking at a volume that’s appropriate to the situation is a basic social skill that most people pick up intuitively. Most people. Who hasn’t stood near strangers who are having a loud conversation and seem oblivious to the fact that they’re annoying others? I recently sat eating in a hotel breakfast area and was treated to high volume details from a nearby table about a messy medical procedure.
I love the story about a man who approached legendary pianist Arthur Rubinstein on the street in New York and asked, “Excuse me, how do I get to Carnegie Hall?” Rubinstein reportedly looked at the man and said, “Practice, practice, practice.”
