• Avoid idioms, words with double meanings, sarcasm and subtle humor.
• Know the AS person probably has difficulty reading non-verbal messages. Do not rely solely on these to convey your messages.
• Try to use plenty of visual aids, allow the student to use tape recorders, be flexible in peer assignment requirements and classroom presentation expectations.
• Keep changes in routine and class structure to a minimum.
• Help the student find a seat in the class that will keep visual and auditory distractions to a minimum.
Employers
• Always keep in mind that what AS people might lack in terms of social skills or flexibility can be more than compensated for through their tremendous sense of loyalty, dedication, strong knowledge base and solid capabilities.
• Guide the AS employee to a job that matches their interests knowing that this can be a very strong motivating factor which works to help the AS person make incredible strides and accomplishments in that very field.
• Encourage jobs that require few social skills and little socializing. Capitalize on the fact that many AS people might reach success in areas that other persons would normally find too lonely or isolated.
• Assign freelance projects that can be completed at home where the AS person might feel far more comfortable and therefore far more able to really concentrate on doing an excellent job.
• Take advantage of a typical AS characteristic — a desire for routine and repetition. Help the AS person find jobs that follow a pattern and are predictable. This will do quite a lot to prevent stress and anxiety which could interfere with high productivity.
• Prepare the AS person in advance before making changes in job expectations or responsibilities, office relocations, schedule changes and staff shifts. Again, stress and anxiety will be reduced if change is kept to a minimum or, at least, gradually made.
• Use a mentoring system. Let an empathetic co-worker who has ideally been educated about AS assist the AS employee with such things as group projects, informal and formal presentations, following and understanding company rules and expectations, maintaining composure and professionalism in social situations (though contact with customers and clients should probably be kept to a minimum unless the AS person is well trained in how to handle themselves in such situations) and even in finding their way around the physical environment of the company.
• Ask the AS person what she or he needs in terms of environmental considerations. For example, specific lighting and acceptable noise level requirements.
Appendix VII
Support Groups and Other Helpful Resources
Each of these groups is committed to Asperger’s Syndrome and other related developmental disorders. Those on-line typically offer additional links for further study.
American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.
4720 Montgomery Lane
Bethesda, MD
20814-3425
Telephone: 1-301-652-2682
Fax: 1-301-652-7711
http://www.aota.org/index.html
The ASPEN Society of America, Inc. (Asperger Syndrome Education Network)
P.O. Box 2577
Jacksonville, FL
32203-2577
Telephone: 1-904-745-6741
Asperger’s Syndrome Support Network, associated with the Autistic Family Support Association, Victoria, Australia
Asperger’s Syndrome Support Network
C/O VACCA
PO Box 235
Ashburton Victoria 3147
Australia
http://home.vicnet.net.au/~autism/assn/asperger.htm
The Autism Society of America
7910 Woodmont Ave
Suite 650
Bethesda, MD
20814-3015
Telephone: 1-800-3-AUTISM
Fax: 1-301-657-0869
http://www.autism-society.org/asa_home.html
The National Autistic Society
393 City Road
London EC IV 1NE
Telephone: 0171 833 2299
Registered charity no. 269425
Emaiclass="underline" nas@mailbox.ulcc.ac.uk
O.A.S.I.S. (Online Asperger Syndrome Information and Support)
http://www.udel.edu/bkirby/asperger/
Sensory Integration International (SII)
The Ayres Clinic
Telephone 1-310-320-2335
Sensory Integration Resource Center
http://www.sinetwork.org/index.htm
These books are among those I routinely see recommended by parents, researchers and individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome.
Asperger’s Syndrome: A Guide for Parents and Professionals
Tony Attwood
Foreword by Lorna Wing
Jessica Kingsley Publishers, London, 1998.
ISBN 1 85302 577 1
This is the book that changed my life. One of the best layman’s book on Asperger’s Syndrome. A must-have not only for teachers and parents, but for anyone who is just learning to understand Asperger’s Syndrome.
Asperger Syndrome: A Guide for Educators and Parents
Brenda Smith Myles and Richard L. Simpson PRO-ED, Austin, Texas, 1998.
ISBN 0 89079 727 7
This book uses practical and easy to understand language to explore topics such as social enhancement, behavioral management, academic support and the impact AS has on families.
Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome
Uta Frith, ed.
Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1991.
ISBN 0 521386 08X
This book is quite technical, but it is a very important book that does much to explain Asperger’s research.
Higher Functioning Adolescents and Young Adults with Autism: A Teacher’s Guide
Ann Fullerton, ed., Joyce Stratton, Phyllis Coyne, and Carol Gray PRO-ED, Austin, Texas, 1996.
ISBN 0 890796 815
This insightful and helpful guide explores the issues facing adolescents and young adults, suggests how to adapt classroom materials and provides ideas for social skills training.
Sensory Integration and the Child
Jean Ayres
Western Psychological Services, Los Angeles, 1979.
ISBN 0 874241 588
A comprehensive and important resource for understanding and helping the person who experiences Sensory Integration dysfunction written by Jean Ayres, the founder of Sensory Integration therapy.
Teaching Your Child the Language of Social Success