Dating with Asperger’s: A new documentary follows a lonely Aspie’s search for love

Asperger's syndrome can make dating a challenge, but loneliness proves more a debilitating hurdle in this new film

MATTHEW ROZSA AND LISKULA COHEN

David Matthews in "Aspie Seeks Love"

This review was written by Matthew Rozsa, who is a high-functioning autistic, and Liskula Cohen, who is not, so that it could incorporate both perspectives.

There is a universality to the suffering captured in “Aspie Seeks Love,” a new documentary by Julie Sokolow that premiered at Cinequest over the weekend. As it chronicles its protagonist’s dogged attempts to enter a successful romantic relationship, the film reveals an agenda much deeper than discussing Asperger’s syndrome or the broader autistic spectrum. At its heart, “Aspie Seeks Love” is a parable about loneliness — a condition which afflicts everyone at some point in their lives and for far too many proves incurable.


That’s the fate David B. Matthews, the titular Aspie, spends the bulk of the film trying to avoid. A Pennsylvania writer and artist who wasn’t diagnosed with AS until he was 41, Matthews possesses all of the tell-tale signs of high-functioning autism — remarkable intelligence, social awkwardness, a wealth of personality tics and other idiosyncrasies. Occasionally a viewer might feel like the film is making him appear more eccentric than he really is (the questioning about his masturbation practices was certainly intrusive and unnecessary), but for the most part Sokolow’s subject comes across as disarmingly relatable. MORE >

Navigating teen years a minefield for those with Asperger's

Laurie Monsebraaten  Social Justice Reporter 

thestar.com

Puberty is when the brain is closed for renovations, a Toronto conference on autism was reminded Friday.

That light-hearted truism from renowned clinical psychologist and author Tony Attwood drew chuckles from the audience of more than 200 parents, teachers and clinicians at the international gathering sponsored by the Geneva Centre for Autism.

But the serious truth for children with Asperger’s syndrome, a neurological disorder on the milder end of the autism spectrum, is that puberty and the teen years can be a minefield. READ MORE >>

Tony Attwood, clinical psychologist and author of several acclaimed books on Asperger's syndrome, says the hyper-social quality of the teen years leaves kids with Asperger's particularly adrift.

How Autism is Changing the World for Everybody

George Dvorsky reports on io9.com that today autism and Aspergers Syndrome, have become accepted as a normal part of the human fabric, where people on the spectrum are changing the nature of our society — in many ways, for the better. Even if some people still see autism as a condition that needs to be "treated," it's increasingly obvious that people on the autism spectrum are finding ways to succeed in our neurotypical-based society.

Today autism has played a significant role in crafting much of what we consider to be modern culture — from the music and books we read, to the technological devices we all take for granted. The acceptance of radically different ways of thinking, it turns out, can be seen as an integral part of a rich and diverse overarching culture.

For more, please see full length article here.

Seven unexpected ways to increase your child's learning

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Dr. Kari Miller

When most people hear words such as “learning,” “smart,” or “memory,” they automatically think of the brain. In school we teach “to the head” only, asking students to sit in chairs for long periods of time, listening and looking almost exclusively at abstract symbols, even when they are very young.

Very few people think the rest of the body has anything to do with academic success. But surprising results from brain research indicate that learning cannot occur without cooperation between the body and the brain.


Emotions and Stress
Because of the way the brain is wired, emotional states run our lives. Every activity in which your child engages is infused with his emotions. Emotions are constantly changing, and are easily influenced.

Emotions such as joy encourage brain cell development by releasing chemicals such as dopamine. When children are happy and calm, they learn and remember more than when they are anxious, tense or irritated. Your child’s brain releases dopamine in response to pleasurable circumstances such chocolate ice cream. But even more importantly, the brain releases dopamine in response to security, recognition, and success.

Dopamine travels to the front of the brain where it influences skills essential for learning. The frontal lobes of your child’s brain are largely in charge of critical skills such as paying attention, recognizing and discriminating critical features, decision making and judgment, all essential for intelligent behavior and school success.

Unfortunately, fear and threat greatly inhibit intelligent behavior. Circumstances that your child finds unpleasant and out of his control produce a stress state in the body. Chronic stress reactions release chemicals that reduce blood flow to the brain, cause atrophy of nerve cells, and impair memory.

Help your child succeed academically by encouraging him to focus on his strengths, stay positive about his ability to learn, and “dream big” about the future! And most importantly, develop and maintain a strongly supportive relationship between you and your child.


Motivation and Inspiration
Learners respond to challenging tasks, not to tasks that are too hard or too easy. If the work your child brings home is not “challenging,” you must work with her teacher to adjust the difficulty level of the work. This is a key to helping your child discover that she is a strong learner who can succeed in academics.

Learners with special needs have experienced much more failure and disappointment than other learners. They often suffer from learned helplessness—a disempowering belief that they are “stupid” and “can’t learn.” When your child repeatedly views her behavior as flawed, her future success is stifled.

Developing long-term relationships between school and parents

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Melissa Dubie
The process involved in establishing a student’s individualized education program (IEP) can nurture a climate of trust if certain steps are followed. Ideally, the annual case conference is a systematic process that ultimately leads to effective programming for students on the autism spectrum. In order for the case conference to run smoothly, certain preliminary steps should be taken that involves setting up the meeting, gaining input from all involved, and creating meeting cultures that promote collaboration.

Let’s start by setting up the annual case conference meeting. The annual case conference must be set up at a “mutually agreed upon time.” This means the school can suggest times. However, parents have the right to say when they can attend if the stated time does not work for them. Each party needs to be reasonable about their request. Attempt to meet during lunch hour, before school, or after school. Give sufficient notice for parents to make arrangements with their employers to get off of work. If a parent does not respond, it is essential to keep trying to meet with them for the conference. Offer to provide transportation to and from school for the parent. If there are extreme health or other circumstances, school staff may need to consider meeting parents at their home. If these attempts don’t work, then conduct the meeting over the phone. School districts must make three attempts to contact parents for a case conference meeting. Be sure these attempts are sensitive and responsive to events surrounding the family member’s life. Parents are an essential member of their son or daughter’s educational team. Also, be sure to let the parent know they can bring a friend, an advocate, or anyone else they feel comfortable with. Being outnumbered by the numerous professionals that typically attend these meetings can be overwhelming to some parents.

Prior to the case conference meeting, provide parents with relevant reports and gather their input concerning their child’s instructional program. Being blindsided with reports and goals during a meeting is not the best way in which to establish the ground work for an ongoing working relationship. Providing family members with information ahead of time can create a climate of trust and collaboration. It can also assist families with being able to more effectively participate in the process.

As a case conference coordinator, it is imperative to consider where to sit during the meeting. Perhaps the optimal location is at the foot of the table to be able to see everyone’s body language, facial expressions, and how all members are responding. Another spot to strategically sit would be in the middle of the table to show support for both family members and school staff. Think about this decision and arrive to the meeting early to set up.

At the beginning of the meeting, one should plan for a minimum of 15 minutes for each person who attends. At an annual case conference (ACC), if there are four people (e.g., general educator, special education teacher, one parent, and speech clinician) attending, then the meeting will be approximately one hour in length. Sufficient time should be allotted. At times, case conferences can last a longer period of time. In this case, it may be better to reconvene at a later date to conclude the meeting. All parties involved should be sensitive to other demands on staff’s and family member’s time.

During the meeting, everyone should be expected and encouraged to share information. After all, each person took time out of their busy life to attend this conference. No one person should monopolize the discussion. Important decisions are being made that will impact a child’s programming for the year, and create expectations for all involved. If anyone disagrees with the decisions being made, their voice needs to be heard during the meeting. Once a meeting is over, it is the responsibility of all involved to respect any of the team decisions. Sabotaging an established program because of personal belief systems is simply unacceptable and can unravel a student’s program.

Before the parent is expected to sign the IEP, the case conference coordinator needs to be sure the parent/legal guardian is comfortable with everything that was discussed at the conference. Remember the parent/legal guardian has the right to take paperwork home to view, discuss with a friend, or simply think about. Do not pressure parents to sign paperwork associated with an IEP. It is more important to build a trusting relationship with the parent than to worry about getting the program in place immediately. If the parent/legal guardian needs additional time after the meeting to talk about everything that was discussed, make time for this to occur. Some case conference coordinators allow for an hour after a meeting to explain any points the parents are unclear about.

Think of the annual case conference meeting as an important process in establishing a long term relationship. If a student is placed into special education services at the age of three, school staff and parents will be working together for the next 19 years. Let’s both try our best to give a good faith effort in this partnership.

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Dubie, M. (2007). Developing long term relationships between school and parents. The Reporter, 12(2), 12-13
Courtesy of IIDC
Source: Autism Support Network 
Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

How to be sensory smart in sending your child back to school - Meet author Lindsey Biel

AutismHangout

Sensory Processing Issues are present in 80% of children with autism. Diets, noises, smells, clothing material and lighting are only a few of the experiences that can cause issues. But many other children without autism can also be challenged by life's daily exposures.

In this interview, author Lindsey Biel ("Raising a Sensory Smart Child" - Penguin Books) returns to discuss new learnings about Sensory Processing Disorder. And she presents a helpful, sensory-smart plan to prepare your child for a low-stress return to school. Thanks, Lindsey!

More information at: www.sensorysmarts.com

Courtesy of Autism Hangout

Read more: http://www.autismsupportnetwork.com/news/how-be-sensory-smart-sending-your-child-back-school-autism-meet-author-lindsey-biel-22827322#ixzz22z9oPgqy

What do I need to know about a student with autism?

Free image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net It would be a challenge to find a school anywhere that does not have a student in it with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Most teachers will have a student with ASD in their classroom at some point in their career. Because the symptoms and characteristics of autism can present themselves in a wide variety of combinations, from mild to severe, a teacher may not recognize new students in their classroom with an ASD from year to year. Autism is a nonprogressive neurologically based developmental disorder that typically appears before the age of 3. There are five disorders under the umbrella of Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD) also known as the autism spectrum: Autistic Disorder, Asperger Syndrome, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder (CDD), Rett Disorder which affects only females, and PDD-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS). Autism is the fastest growing developmental disability with an estimated statistic of 1 in 88 people having an ASD according to the new figures released in 2012 from the Center for Disease Control in the USA. ASD often presents with other conditions such as Attention Deficit Disorder/Attention Hyperactivity Disorder, dysgraphia (difficulty putting thoughts into writing), dyslexia (difficulty decoding single words), nonverbal learning disorder (disorders that don’t affect speech), Tourette Syndrome (characterized by vocal, motor, unusual noises tics or involuntary sayings) and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Although students with an ASD will vary widely in ability and behavior, there are four main points they share: impaired social interaction, communication difficulties, lack of imagination, and sensory issues. So what do these students look like in the classroom? Socially, you will see these students do not fit in. They don't understand that other people have thoughts, ideas, and ways of thinking that are different from theirs. Interaction with others is often one-sided and inappropriate. The ASD child will often be absorbed in certain subjects and will only want to talk about those subjects. Reciprocal play is absent such as turn taking or adding on ideas to play scenarios. You may see the child engaging in parallel play rather than direct interaction with other children; they don't know how to join in. These children often lack empathy because they do not interpret the emotions of other accurately. Children with Asperger Syndrome (AS) are known for their honesty and will tell you exactly what they think and can be perceived as rude. They are rule-based and are quick to point out who isn’t following the rules. Breaking the rules can cause them anxiety. These traits make them susceptible to bullying and teasing from other students. The ASD student often doesn’t get the joke or becomes highly anxious when routines are changed. They often prefer to be alone. They do not follow the social customs of society that most of us learn simply through observation. Some great resources to learn more about AS in the classroom are Asperger Syndrome - Practical Strategies for the Classroom: A Teacher's Guide, and Asperger Syndrome - What Teachers Need to Know.

Man writes about living with form of autism

By Harry Jackson Jr. | St. Louis Post-Dispatch 

ST. LOUIS - Aaron Likens was almost grateful nine years ago when he was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism.

He'd found the source, finally, of the blurred confusion that had hampered his life.

Living with autism "is like running hurdles and not jumping," he said.

He survived the years before his diagnosis because, "My father never let me lose my confidence," he said.

Aaron told his story last month at Lutheran High School South in St. Louis. His presentation helps decode what goes on in the mind of a person with autism spectrum disorder, the umbrella description for the levels of autism from incapacitating to high functioning.

Aaron also was promoting his book, "Finding Kansas," the story of his life with Asperger's. More than 100 people attended his talk. Many were seeking answers that would help them to help their own children. Some just wanted affirmation.

"I never intended to write a book," he said. "I wrote to tell my dad who I was and why I was."

"I always knew he was special," said Jim Likens, Aaron's father, who lives in the St. Louis area like his son.

"He knew his alphabet at 18 months old. He could spell all the words in his Speak and Spell by the time he was 3," Jim Likens said. By the time he was 6, he was an expert at board games; unbeatable at Monopoly. He taught himself to multiply... READ MORE

Harry Jackson Jr

Explaining himself

Aaron Likens, 29, combines the story of part of his life with an explanation of how someone with Asperger's syndrome sees the world. More than 100 people attended Likens' talk. He was ending a 15-city book tour promoting his book, "Finding Aaron Likens, 29, pictured May 15, combines the story of part of his life with an explanation of how someone with Asperger's syndrome sees the world. More than 100 people attended his talk last month in St. Louis.