Our+Learnings+from+People+with+Asperger's+Syndrome

Although there are many new things we have discovered from individuals with Asperger's, we chose some of the things that stood out the most to us while working on this project.

=Learning From Those We Label = Take a look at this videoblog where an amazing 17 year old Taylor Morris, talks about her experiences growing up being autistic and what people should know about individuals who have this learning disability. []

Visit this website where you can read and interview with a college student who is living his life with Asperger's. It goes through a variety of frequently asked questions that most individuals have. []

This website page tells a story of a woman, Sondra Williams, who has high functioning autism (another name for Asperger's Syndrome). She describes having AS as "being on a roller coaster ride that does not stop, with many sudden jerks to the left, to the right, and then dropping you rapidly in a major nosedive to the bottom" or "being deserted in a foreign country that is not an ally with your native land. Not understanding the culture, language, or surroundings." http://www.thegraycenter.org/autismaspergers/86

The following is a poem written by a student with Asperger's Syndrome: (p. 17)

My Greatest Fear is Myself My greatest fear is myself. Control is not absolute: it's a constant struggle to maintain, It drains my strength. I am always tired: I never get enough sleep. Events beyond my control happen around me: I do things that scare me. If I'm confused or angry or tired, <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I slip up and my body takes over. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Watching your life like a void is scary. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It takes an effort of will to take control <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">again <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">and not just let it happen. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I'm afraid of what I feel. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Emotions weaken my control. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">When I think, I sometimes think of letting <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">go, <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">just letting it all slip away. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It hurts fighting all the time. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I just want peace and rest.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">David, age 13

=<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Opening A Book = <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's// by John Elder Robison. This novel deeply affects us as teachers because we feel as though the education system mistreated Robison and that he did not receive the school experience that every child deserves. It is very possible that we will have a student in our future classrooms like Robison, so we need to be prepared. Firstly, we need to remember that every child is different; therefore, every child with asperger’s is different as well. There is not only one single strategy that each teacher should know.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The book //Learning and Behaviour Problems in Asperger Syndrome// contains a chapter called "Remembering School" by Wendy Lawson. In this chapter, Wendy discusses her school experience with AS. At that point, she did not realize she had AS so it was an extremely difficult time for her.

=<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Searching The Web = <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The internet is a great resource for both teachers and parents to learn more about how to work with and learn from children with learning difficulties in this specific area. We received a lot of useful information on the web and here are a few websites we thought focus in on helping teachers and parents.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[] This website has books for parents, teachers, and students on Autism.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[] This is an online community for people of all ages with Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[] Provides information and tips for teachers having students coming into their classroom with Asperger's Syndrome.

=<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Important to Note =
 * 1) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Involve the parents as much as possible. They know the child best, so talk with them, and work collaboratively to come up with strategies that are helpful. If there is no support at home, make sure the student knows that the school is a safe place and that you are there to help them.
 * 2) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Limit the things that are on the walls of the classroom. Is a classroom full of posters more important than the loss of ability to concentrate? Absolutely not.
 * 3) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Remember that people with asperger’s sometimes take things literally. If you tell the students to go to page 25 in their math book, and the students start working, the student with asperger’s may turn to the page but continue sitting there, and you did not tell them to start working. Communication skills are very important and instructions that may seem clear to most students may be confusing to others.
 * 4) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Do not expect the student with asperger’s to make eye contact with you, and do not take it as an insult. Although eye contact is common in communication, this is difficult for many with asperger’s and something they cannot change. To get angry or scold them for it is entirely unfair.
 * 5) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Remember to sit down, and get to know the student. Let the student tell you about something they are interested in, and make them the “expert” of that topic in the classroom.
 * 6) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Children with asperger's like clear and consistent routines; they do not respond poisitively most of the time to surprises.
 * 7) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Providing ample social opportunities, including time to practice social interaction skills that are connected to the student’s interest areas.
 * 8) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Creating a safe & accepting learning environment, which includes educating personnel and peers about AS
 * 9) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Visuals will help increase the student’s comprehension and communication