The Benefits of Asperger Awareness
By Dan Coulter
I’ve written quite a bit about the benefits of disclosing Asperger
Syndrome. My wife and I got an email last week that really drove the
point home.
The email came from a mother who, years ago, worked with her son’s
psychologist to schedule a middle school assembly about Asperger
Syndrome. The psychologist used one of the DVDs we produced to help
the school’s students understand something about AS behaviors and
what caused them. After the assembly, this mom wrote us to tell us
how students who’d formerly ignored or teased her son had become his
supporters.
In her recent email, she said her son is now in high school and has
several friends. He’s starting the college search process and she
asked about college programs for students with Asperger Syndrome.
She said her son sometimes runs into boys he knew in seventh grade
and that they continue to be interested in him and how he’s doing.
She mentioned that these former classmates still have memories of
the video and the experience.
Of course, this email made us feel great. But our video was only one
part of this success story, which was created by a student and
parents willing to disclose, an enlightened school staff willing to
hold an assembly, and an effective communicator willing to interact
with the students.
We’ve also heard success stories about the children who’ve been in
our videos. A number of parents have asked about opportunities to
have their children participate in new videos to show how much
progress they've made. We know some of these parents well enough to
see what a huge role they’ve played in that progress. These parents
are solid advocates for their children and are raising them to be as
strong, confident and independent as possible. Being open about
Asperger Syndrome sends a strong message to these children about
their self worth, just as they are.
Disclosing that a child has Asperger Syndrome should always be a
personal and family decision based on your circumstances. But it’s
one I urge every parent of a child of with AS to seriously consider.
We’re now working on a DVD to help people with Asperger Syndrome
find and keep a job. We’re interviewing successful job holders with
AS, as well as their employers and job coaches. In an environment
where unemployment is dramatically high for people with AS, all of
these employees have been working steadily for years. Every
successful job holder we’ve interviewed has talked about the
importance of disclosing AS to supervisors and co-workers. This
helps people see past their AS behaviors to appreciate their
strengths and productivity.
It’s something to think about. Children with Asperger Syndrome grow
up and need to find work just like everyone else. Continuing
disclosure may be an important factor in your child’s lifelong
success.
Lifelong success. That has a nice ring to it.
If disclosure
is a building block to lifelong success, shouldn’t we start laying
the foundation as soon as possible?
***
ABOUT THE AUTHOR -- Dan Coulter produces DVDs for people with
Asperger Syndrome and autism and those who support them. The
employment DVD he mentions is scheduled for release in Spring, 2009.
You can find more articles on his website: www.coultervideo.com.
Copyright 2009 Dan Coulter All Rights
Reserved. Used by Permission.
