Asperger'+Syndrome+Background+and+Key+Information

Background and Key Information

** Problem Statement/Background **
In the fall of 2008 I received my first IEP for a student who was clearly identified with an Autism Spectrum Disorder(ASD), specifically, Asperger's Syndrome(AS). I will refer to him as Jeff. Jeff was a strong reader who retained and comprehended most of what he read. He could explain himself very clearly orally, but struggled to make similar observations and connections in written form. Jeff struggled academically with numbers as well. Since I am a 9th grade social studies teacher this had limited impact on my instruction. Jeff's social struggles would have the largest impact on my instruction in the classroom. He was routinely inappropriate with girls. He cartooned voices to be funny in class. He also had very little filter of negative comments with other students, although he did regret them later. Over the years this had created quite a few negative moments with my students and they were hesitant to get to close to him socially. Throughout the year I would learn more about these facets of Asperger's Syndrome or Autism Spectrum Disorder and more as I learned to work with Jeff. It was a tremendously rewarding experience that was soon to be overshadowed by my next ASD student.

In the fall of 2009 I received my second IEP for a student with ASD and I truly learned what spectrum means in ASD. The IEP stated that the student had a 1-1 paraprofessional for all classes. He struggled to sit for long periods, had outbursts of inappropriateness, struggled to work in groups, had difficulty staying focused on tasks, needed frequent massive chunking of material, needed modified pace for material, struggled to write written responses beyond a few sentences, the list went on and on. The list was so exhaustive, many of us were struggling to determine what exactly we could do with "Charles" in class. "Charles's" parents came to school for a meeting with all of his teachers prior to school beginning. They did not bring Charles, by the end of the year he had finally did attend 15 minutes of an IEP meeting. They brought us a video of Charles that showcased his music ability. He was playing the saxaphone at a local school Spring festival. He walked with the saxaphone over to a keyboard and commenced to begin playing the keyboard(all with another three band members) and then switched back to the saxaphone, effortlessly. It was amazing. It also helped me to realize that I had no idea what I was in for during the school year. Charles was the strongest student academically I had in his inclusion class, by far. I learned much about management of ASD students and creating the proper environment from him. I also learned that some parents are so concerned about their children that they include every possible trait associated with ASD on an IEP instead of describing behaviors of the actual child in question.

The most significant idea to emerger after having two uniquely different students with ASD was that I knew more than my colleagues but still very little about the disorder. Some of my fondest memories and most exasperating moments were with Jeff and Charles the last two years. I am taking this project as an opportunity to learn more about ASD as well as to inform others about a type of student that more and more regular education teachers will begin teaching in coming year. "It is estimated that between 1 in 80 and 1 in 240 with an average of 1 in 110 children in the United States have an ASD " (Division of Birth Defects, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2010). There is quite a bit of debate as to whether these numbers reflect an increase in occurrence or an increase in diagnosis(both may be likely). What is clear is that the number is growing and all secondary teachers should be proactive in learning how to best work with ASD students in the classroom. Consider, "if 4 million children are born in the United States every year, approximately 36,500 children will eventually be diagnosed with an ASD. Assuming the prevalence rate has been constant over the past two decades, we can estimate that about 730,000 individuals between the ages of 0 to 21 have an ASD" (Division of Birth Defects, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2010).



**Definition/Description**
Asperger's Syndrome was first diagnosed in 1944 by Dr. Hans Asperger, an Austrian pediatrician. It was not until 1994 that Asperger's Syndrome was reclassified as an Autism Spectrum Disorder. While there is still some educational, psychological, and medical ambiguity in research references regarding its official name, there are very real characteristics of individual's diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrom. Dr. Tony Atwood writing for the Online Asperger's Sydnrome Information and Support center online(OASIS) identified a variety of characteristics that are commonly found in a person with Asperger's Syndrome:
 * A qualitative impairment in social interaction:
 * Failure to develop friendships that are appropriate to the child’s developmental level.
 * Impaired use of non-verbal behavior such as eye gaze, facial expression and body language to regulate a social interaction.
 * Lack of social and emotional reciprocity and empathy.
 * Impaired ability to identify social cues and conventions.
 * A qualitative impairment in subtle communication skills:
 * Fluent speech but difficulties with conversation skills and a tendency to be pedantic, have an unusual prosody and to make a literal interpretation.
 * Restrictive Interests:
 * The development of special interests that is unusual in their intensity and focus.
 * Preference for routine and consistency. (http://www.aspergersyndrome.org/Articles/What-is-Asperger-Syndrome-.aspx)

In no way is the use of this video by Craig Kendall intended to endorse his program for Asperger's Syndrome treatment. However, the video does support more academic descriptions of AS by clearly discussing its traits and how it manifests itself in the classroom. Kendall concludes by discussing some of the strengths and assets of individuals with Asperger's Syndrome. While much of my focus will be on how the behavior manifests in the classroom and management strategies for teachers, it should not be lost that these students can be amazingly sensitive, gifted, talented, and interesting students to teach. media type="youtube" key="jmOSMc2Sepg" height="405" width="500"

www.aspergerssurvivalguide.com

Now that we have a better idea of what AS is, let's take a look at its implications in the classroom. Specifically, what behaviors must a teacher account for, what management strategies should they implement for an Asperger's Syndrome student, and what specialized instruction can be helpful for both teacher and student(s). Click Next Page to examine AS in the regular education inclusion classroom.

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