In 1944, Austrian pediatrician, Hans Asperger, published a paper describing patterns of observed behaviors noted with a small group of young boys who were described as having normal intelligence and language development.
Dr. Asperger reported that the boys exhibited signs of autistic-like behaviors. Also noted was their significant deficit in the areas of social skills and language development.
It wasn’t until 1994 that Dr. Asperger’s findings were actually recognized as a diagnosis, with the developmental disorder being named after the physician 50 years after its discovery.
According to the Asperger’s Disorder Homepage:
“In Asperger's Disorder, affected individuals are characterized by social isolation and eccentric behavior in childhood. There are impairments in two-sided social interaction and non-verbal communication. Though grammatical, their speech may sound peculiar due to abnormalities of inflection and a repetitive pattern. Clumsiness may be prominent both in their articulation and gross motor behavior. They usually have a circumscribed area of interest which usually leaves no space for more age appropriate, common interests.”
Despite the noted deficiencies in language and social skills’ development, children with Asperger’s typically have average to above-average intelligence. Many physicians across the country currently work with children with Asperger's and their families to help them further understand and work beyond the disorder.
The social and language skills' developmental lags coupled with the average to above-average intelligence levels observed in children with Asperger Syndrome oftentimes presents challenges for teachers, schools and school districts that work toward developing appropriate and effective instructional plans for students with the disorder.
However, the 2002 No Child Left Behind Act signed and enacted by the former United States administration mandates that every educational provider working with students who have special needs, including Asperger Syndrome; focus on data-driven accountability measures in the development, implementation, monitoring, and maintenance of targeted and annual Individual Education Programs (IEPs).
So, what does one SAHM (stay-at-home-mother) of a child with Asperger Syndrome have to say about how her child’s special needs are being met at school?
Read LifelineExtensions.blog on Friday, August 28th to hear some of this SAHM’s transparent and down-to-earth account.
In the meantime, we welcome the thoughts or accounts of any of our readers who would like to post a comment or send an e-mail to us about the topic of Asperger Syndrome. You can either post a comment below this article, or e-mail us at lifelineextensionsblogspot@gmail.com.
Sharon M. Biggs, M.A.
Co-Founder & President
Lifeline Foundation, Inc.
sharonbiggs@mylifelinefoundation.org
Contact Information & Mailing Address:
Lifeline Foundation, Inc.
301 North Harrison Street
Suite 35
Princeton, New Jersey 08540
http://www.mylifelinefoundation.org/
E-mail: info@MyLifelineFoundation.org
Weblog: http://lifelineextensions.blogspot.com/
Please direct all inquiries or charitable donations to Lifeline Foundation Inc.'s Co-Founder & President:
Sharon M. Biggs, M.A.
SharonBiggs@MyLifelineFoundation.org
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