Educational+Implications

=   __Educational Implications of Asperger Syndrome__    =

As with any exceptionality, there are implications within the classroom setting that need to be addressed. Evidence suggests that academically, students with AS usually possess strong skills in fact-based materials and difficulties in problem solving, comprehension and critical thinking (Baker & Wekowitz, 2005, p54). Teachers must help to develop these skills, to model them and to show how to use   them outside the confines of the classroom. Also students with AS tend to read aloud better than silently (Baker & Wekowitz, 2005, p55). As a result teachers would need to provide many opportunities for these students to read aloud, while still trying to develop independent silent reading skills. Academic results are difficult to generalise for students with AS and therefore need to be based on individual, authentic assessment. In undergoing this continual formative assessment the teacher will be able to provide better learning opportunities that are at the student’s cognitive level. Academics is only one aspect of the educational implications of AS. Schools are social settings and teachers need to help students with AS to develop appropriate social skills as well. Some evidence suggests that individuals with AS are more likely to engage in violent actions and interests and develop specific routines and rituals. They also have difficulties with discerning voice volume, gestures and holding conversations (Baker & Wekowitz, 2005, p56). Most often any relationships with peers are superficial and the student is unaware of personal boundaries. All these characteristics lead to negative social interactions that teachers need to address. Modelling appropriate behaviour is the best way in which to help the student become more socially adept, but it is also paramount to develop an inclusive classroom environment in which the student feels valued and invited. Making friends can be difficult to students with AS as they may tend to isolate themselves. By providing a number of individual and collaborative group efforts and assignments teachers are able to respect the desire to work independently while teaching and promoting collaborative learning opportunities to teach social skills. This will also help to encourage friendships and relationship building though social interaction. Teasing and bullying is another major concern for educators. Bullying is about four times more likely for children with AS compared to their peers (Attwood, 2007, p98). Reasons for this can include a passive personality that makes them ideal targets, inabilities to read social situations leading to inappropriate behaviours and that they are more often in quieter and more secluded areas of the playground. This makes them easier targets. As bullying victims they are at greater risk for lower self-esteem, increased anxiety and depression, lower academic achievement and increased social isolation. Furthermore, students with AS are less likely to report bullying because of impaired Theory of Mind, possibly considering bullying as a normal behaviour (Attwood, 2007, p100). Teachers therefore, need to monitor students with AS more closely and to teach students appropriate social behaviour and interactions.

__Characteristics Relevant to School Performance__
There are many characteristics that children or youth with Asperger Syndrome (AS) may possess, which are relevant to their performance at school. Not all individuals have all of these characteristics but it is a possibility. The four main areas that may hinder children with AS include social interaction, social communication, social imagination and flexibility of thought, and motor clumsiness (Cumine, 1998, pg.5-6). There are also other qualities they may possess that are positive in the school environment such as creativity, special interests, enjoyment of routines, and exceptional long-term memory (Winter, pg. 14,15,21). Social interaction is not something a child with AS is particularly good at. Some qualities they might display that show their lack of ability to interact socially in an appropriate manner include not knowing how to cope properly with the approaches and social demands of others. Therefore they become tense and distressed which might cause the repetition of words or phrases. They are also not very capable of understanding social cues (Cumine, pg.5). Children with AS can also be socially isolated because of their inability to interact appropriately, however at a younger age it might not bother them. As they begin to notice others with friends, they might suddenly want friends, however be deficient in the ability to develop and maintain friendships (Cumine, pg.5). They might interrupt conversations inconveniently, and find it difficult to take turns during a conversation (Winter, pg.16). Children with AS may have difficulty expressing their emotions as well as reading others’ emotions (Winter, pg.17). They can become overly emotional when unnecessary, be impulsive, have a quick temper, laugh inappropriately, express inappropriate emotions, and might understand others emotions but not know how to respond to them appropriately (Winter, pg.18). Social communication is linked with interaction as children with AS could have more specific difficulties with their use of language or the way they interpret language. Their spoken language might be to the point where it is very sophisticated and particular; therefore they may not know how to converse in a more casual manner. Their voice can lack expression and they might also struggle interpreting different tones of voices of others (Cumine, pg.5). Therefore the teacher might need to use hand gestures or other signals to get the student with AS to understand their emotions. There also might be difficulty “using and interpreting non-verbal communication such as: body language, gesture and facial expression” (Cumine, pg.5). The teacher will need to find ways to communicate messages efficiently to the student so that they fully comprehend the meaning of what is being said or asked of them. They can also have a hard time interpreting sarcasm because they understand language in a literal way; therefore not understanding implied meanings of words (Cumine, pg. 5). Social imagination and flexibility of thought might be another area of weakness for students with AS. They might have one particular area of interest that can become an obsession and they will have an extremely large amount of knowledge about this topic. They really like routines; if something in the schedule is going to change without notice the teacher will need to find a more effective means of informing the student. It is better of course to tell students with AS in advance about any changes to the regular routines. Students with AS might also have troubles transferring skills they have learned from one setting to another (Cumine, pg.6). Therefore they might forget skills they learnt in their homeroom class when moving to another classroom for science or PE meaning these skills could have to be re-taught. They can have very rigid thinking, not liking ambiguity, change, or the unexpected. As a result they might be a high achiever in topics that have a rigid structure (Winter, pg.22). They can try to be a perfectionist, be scared of and sensitive to criticism, and hate failure. Particularly in public they don’t like doing things if there is a chance of making an error, and do not like competitive activities because of this (Winter, pg.22-23). Motor clumsiness is something else children with AS might struggle with. Their physical movements might be awkward or inappropriate. There are often organizational problems which might include an inability to find their way around, or gathering materials that they need to use. There might also be weakness in completing tasks or assignments, as well as writing or drawing neatly (Cumine, pg.6). Children with AS can be very sensitive to the heightening of certain senses. This includes sensitivity to bright or flickering lights, high-pitched and sudden or loud noises. They might find it unpleasant to be touched, and can be overwhelmed by strong odours (Winter, pg.25).They might also hear or smell things before other people. This irritation might come from their acute sense of smell or hearing. They might also have visual and/or aural perception problems. Creativity, special interests, enjoyment of routines, and exceptional long-term memory are some of the characteristics children with AS might possess that enhance their school experience. With their creativity, these students “often approach a problem from a completely different angle from the rest of the class” (Winter, pg.14) which could be useful. They also tend to be musical, artistic, and/or dramatic (Winter, pg.14). As already mentioned they usually develop some sort of special interest in which they want to find out everything they can about this topic, can be very knowledgeable about it, enjoy discussing and sharing this knowledge with others (Winter, pg.14-15). They might use this knowledge to have easy conversations with others, to show that they are smart, and to feel at ease with a certain topic. Routines were already mentioned as a negative thing when they are changed. However, students with AS love routine which can be a positive trait because once routines are established in the classroom, these students will follow them well, know the expectations, and can create their own routines to have order in their day (Winter, pg.15). Their long-term memory tends to be quite exceptional. They may be able to remember things from long ago, over a long time span, can often list great quantities of factual information, and can have a significantly large vocabulary for their age along with an “accurate understanding of the meaning of individual words” (Winter, pg.21). Children with AS can also have a good visual memory therefore it might be better to use pictures and scenes for explanations rather than words.

As one can see there are numerous characteristics that children with AS might possess therefore teachers need to be aware of these in order to understand their actions and to accommodate them and the students’ needs in the classroom.

Information on the Defination and Diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome. Information on Teaching Strategies of Asperger Syndrome. Complete Bibliography of resources.