Teaching gifted children with Asperger syndrome: practical advice
This Gifted & Talented Update article is from October 2007. To receive the latest issue, subscribe here.
Working with very able pupils presents a challenge to any teacher, but when learners also have special educational needs, there are complex issues to address. Julian Whybra shares his experiences of children and young people with Asperger syndrome
Asperger syndrome might be defined as a mild form of autism in conjunction with normal or high intelligence. It was first described in the 1940s and has long been used in Europe as a diagnostic label. However, only in recent years has it attracted much attention in the UK, where the average age of diagnosis is 16! There is no national Asperger register, but the largest and most comprehensive survey suggested that 36 in 10,000 people are affected, with a ratio of 10 males to 1 female.
Before diagnosis, children may be thought of as antisocial, just plain stupid, or as socially inept little professors (and thus targets for bullies). It can also be difficult to differentiate Asperger syndrome from other developmental disorders such as autism, Kanner syndrome and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): as the word ‘syndrome’ suggests, Asperger’s is a collection of symptoms, not all of which occur in every affected individual and only a few of which are used by psychologists as diagnostic criteria.
Over the years I have got to know many Asperger children attending GIFT curriculum extension summer schools and other courses, and have had the opportunity of close observation of their characteristics.
Physical characteristics can include:
- clumsiness
- a face rather too young for his or her age
- a strained, croaky, slow, uninflected or monotonous voice
- a stilted gait and awkward movements
- a stammer or lisp
- arms held rigid by the sides when walking
- poor or absent eye contact.
Differences in educational development can include:
- dyslexia – unusual difficulty in learning to read
- hyperlexia – unusually high reading ability and motivation to read (often on a limited subject)
- preference for fact over fiction in reading matter
- difficulty in telling left from right
- good mathematical ability
- unusually large vocabulary, often inappropriately used
- lack of motivation in schoolwork
- one or more private, often trivial or bizarre subjects of personal study on which the child holds forth (eg different makes of vacuum cleaner/ hub caps, the life cycle of butterflies)
- inability to learn from his or her mistakes.
Psychological/physical symptoms can include:
- social isolation
- lack of imaginative play
- lack of expression – in voice, face and body language
- difficulty in interpreting social cues (ie unable to read other people’s body language)
- shyness, anxiety and unhappiness
- severe depression in adolescence and early adulthood (commonly experienced)
- being plagued by irrational fears and anxieties
- excessive timidity
- difficulty in relating to other people – they cannot understand how relationships work, although they are often desperately anxious to make friends. Nuances of relationships, behaviour and language are a mystery to them so that as children, jokes and role play leave them cold.
Behaviours can include:
- attachment to routine
- oversensitivity to noise
- dislike of physical contact
- apparent deafness
- not knowing their own strength (sometimes expressed as apparently overt, but actually unintentional, aggression).
An Asperger child, while seeming difficult or intractable, may in fact be in considerable distress and in need of diagnosis and appropriate help. No Asperger sufferer can be expected to understand and control their life without some understanding of the condition, nor to enjoy life without the understanding of others. The great distress caused to sufferers and to their families can be alleviated, however, by an early diagnosis and sympathetic teaching, both of which are ultimately essential.
How can teachers help?
Each child with Asperger syndrome is an individual and it’s important, therefore, to get to know them and their particular traits. Older pupils often have an understanding of their particular difficulties and can discuss with teachers and support assistants, strategies that support them. Information and advice from parents should also be sought. An important issue with young people who appear ‘odd’ is one of acceptance and inclusion among their peers: helping pupils to understand Asperger syndrome and how to respond to a classmate’s ‘quirkiness’ can achieve a lot in terms of avoiding bullying and embracing ‘difference’ within a school community. (Always refer to Asperger syndrome correctly: it is pronounced with a hard ‘g’ as in ‘hamburger’.)
- Establish routines in the classroom/school which create a feeling of security for the child.
- Be consistent in all matters.
- Prepare the child for any changes in routine or personnel well in advance. Where this isn’t possible, accept that s/he may get upset – have a contingency plan.
- Use visual back up for spoken language where possible, including visual timetables, making use of images and symbols.
- Remember that a student with Asperger syndrome is likely to take what you say literally (‘pull your socks up’): explain metaphors and idioms.
- Have high expectations of achievement; use his/her ability to learn by rote to increase self-esteem.
- Always refer to the child by name: s/he may not realise that ‘everyone’ or ‘red group’ means her/him.
- Be precise with instructions: ‘We are going to pack away now’, not ‘Shall we pack away now?’
- Acknowledge the need for personal space: allow the child to sit at the end of a row; create a quiet, ‘time out’ work space.
- Make good use of computers – they are not emotionally demanding.
- Use stories to teach appropriate behaviour in different settings; meanings behind facial expressions; how to interact with others.
- Liaise with the child’s teaching assistant.
- Establish a ‘circle of friends’ or ‘buddy’ system to support the child. Talk to the child as often as possible (normally – as a fellow human being) and be seen talking to him/her. You have no idea how important this is for the child.
- Be flexible – and try not to take personally any comments from the child which are unintentionally abrupt or rude.
- If necessary, Asperger children can be made to understand and respond to a direct command (‘Chris! Put that chair down!’ ‘David! Stop now!’). Provided this is explained in advance as your means of indicating acceptable behaviour, s/he will understand that you mean what you say. This can be a life saver.
Julian Whybra has worked in the field of gifted education since 1978 and is co-founder of GIFT Ltd. He has written widely on gifted education including Enrichment Activities for Gifted Children published by Optimus Education.
Information and advice
The Office of Autism and Asperger Syndrome Support and Information Services (OAASIS) produces teaching packs, publications, and an outreach service for professionals. Its website has a complete list of other UK organisations dealing with Asperger syndrome.
Managing Asperger Syndrome at College and University by Juliet Jamieson and Claire Jamieson (David Fulton Publishers) is an excellent resource for teachers, tutors and parents of young adults, as well as for young people who have Asperger syndrome.
Comments
Asperger article
As the author of the article and given the passing of time and comments I feel I can respond to some of the points raised.
First, I get lots of enquiries from experienced teachers, NQTs, learning assistants, and from parents who suspect a child might have Asperger Syndrome, and lots of enquiries from Learning Support heads who though they are aware of Asperger's, do not know enough about it to be able to help the child or advise other staff. It was therefore for those persons that I wrote the original article - a shortened version of which appeared in Teaching Expertise.
As an absolute necessity an awareness of what to expect from such a child behaviourally is vital if the child is not to be mislabelled as aggressive, anti-education, etc., (and many of them at first are so mislabelled). Many Asperger children, but certainly not all, display some of the physical, behavioural, psychological, and developmental characteristics I was careful to list as 'can' be witnessed. They are not listed for pejorative reasons and listing them wasn't undertaken lightly. Some readers may need to re-think the purpose of such lists.
Equally, basic helpful classroom hints for teachers was a must for inclusion. I was careful to stress 'understanding of the condition', 'understanding of others', peer-group inclusion, high teacher expectations, and that each child is an individual and it's important to get to know them as individuals. I am sorry if some readers found the article depressing. Asperger Syndrome varies enormously in the strength of its characteristics, from barely noticeable to mild, from severe to practically life-destroying. If those readers failed to recognize some of the more blatant characteristics in their own child then it may well be that, fortunately for them, their child has the much more mild form. Where it is severe, life can be very difficult indeed for the child, its parents, and its educators, and they need all the help they can get.
Many of the students I come into contact with are lonely and poor at socializing. It is one of the abiding joys of my work when I watch them overcome this among other 'accepting' children. I always recall one mother who had come to pick up her smiling child who said that it was the first time she'd ever seen him skip as he came toward her. Parents of Asperger children can be subjected to much negativity such that they almost function on 'automatic defensive mode' whenever the subject crops up. (Indeed this may well be true of all parents of all children when faced with any criticism!)
Failure to recognize the importance of confronting the issues surrounding Asperger's and failure to educate educators in its existence and handling such that happy balanced children (who have learnt to make the most of their gift) result, will serve no-one. The more schools I come across where Asperger's is not understood or recognized only serves to re-inforce for me the importance of supplying information and assistance to teachers.
I really relate to this!
In fact it's the story of my life.
People labelled me as gifted when I was young but I'm really struggling to succeed in the real world.
I've moved house countless times due to arguments with housemates over them interfering with my routines, moved jobs countless times due to dismissals, arguments, and lack of interest.
It's easy to say this kind of thing is negative but when work and living arrangements are problematic, you've then got the additional problems of depression, substance abuse, sensory issues and phobias that even in highly-intellignet people make life intolerably difficult.
Few people with AS will be successful in today's society unless they are lucky enough to have a niche gift.
Sam
not the end of the world
I have got three children with AS and one with ADHD. The eldest is twenty three now and she is carving out a splendid career in the Army - who, bless them - will take on all sorts of challenges. The next one (with ADHD) drives a taxi and loves it (different every day) - and the other two aged nine and four are still at home.
Love them. Stop trying to make them neurotypical. Enjoy their humour. Recognise that all sorts of odd things are very stressful for them and protect them as far as you can. Keep them safe and be forever on their side. The only serious danger with AS is its nasty link with depression in adulthood. I regard my role as a parent as being to provide them with the skills and confidence to prepare them for this as much as I can. They are ace, funny and clever and interesting: who could want any other sort of child? Admire and love them and they will know they are admirable and loveable. I am fed up of hearing despairing parents. These kids are great. I wouldn't have one of the other kind given to me. Write if you need to.
MY SON
MY SON IS 4 AND IM FINDING IT VERY HARD TO GET HIM DIAGNOSED, AS HE HAS ALL THE TELL SIGNS, BUT THERE JUST DONT SEEM TO BE ANYONE OUT THERE THE HELP DIAGNOSE HIM.HE DONT HANE ADHD AS BEEN TESTED BUT HE STILL IS THE SAME .
I WISH THERE WAS A EASY ANSWER TO ALL THIS BUT I FIND IT HARD.
I ALSO SO HAVE M.S AND HAVING TO BRING UP TWO BOYS WITH ONE WITH A.S IS VERY HARD WORK FOR ME .
LISA
Making friends
My son has befriended a child who I believe exhibits some of the Asperger's symptoms. This particular child has difficulty making friends, as he is "picked on" by many other students at school. My issue is that my son is very popular and has many close friends. My fear is that this child (and his parents) are trying to "smother" my son in hopes of creating some kind of an exclusive friendship. While I commend my son for befriending this child, I do not want him to overlook his other valuable friendships. How do you suggest I guide my son through this process?? Thank you for any advice you can offer.
ACTION Autism - Aspergers Parallel Planet
Its bad enough there is no real support for the Adults on the spectrum, but to let our children down, there is no excuse... In general its felt GSE are falling our children, cutting children's teacher aide hours in the classroom and ORRS funding to be removed! GSE action plan promises so much more than is happening...
Does Tony Attwood think that schools and social services are equipped for the apparent increase in autism?
“No. Talk to the parents.” The burden, he says, falls unfairly on them. Whitworth agrees that our schools and social services are in no way ready for autism in one in 100 children. We have huge problems with the education system in New Zealand. We have children who can only attend school part-time. We have children who are discouraged from attending their local school. We have teachers who aren’t trained and teacher aides who aren’t trained. For some of our kids, particularly with Asperger’s syndrome, the education system is failing them."
I have recently set up a action autism nz group www.asplanet.info as was sadden to find this is not one yet in NZ hopefully we can make a small differences together, and up the growing number of frustrated people on and off the autism spectrum, a start to having our views heard collectively....
Me and my son are both on the autism spectrum, I never had an education because of this and it hurts that there is no support or help for my wonderful aspie son.
The article raised some very valid and helpful points, hopefully will help others understand that little bit more...
Where is the help and understanding?
Excellent article! My son and I have experienced much of what you mention, and still continue to do so. There is scant help and understanding for children who suffer from AS and, at least in my experience, no assistance whatsoever for adult sufferers. My wife is frequently depressed as a consequence of the unacceptable situation we are forced to endure. I have been fighting to try and bring awareness of AS to a wider audience for 6 years; I run 2 blogs, one for children and the other for adults. Unfortunately, with little success.
Matthew.
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