Students with Asperger's Syndrome (AS)
by Helen Beeley (Mother 3 sons — 2 with Asperger's)
This article was written based on information given by Tony Attwood in a seminar in June, 2007. I apologize to Tony if I have misquoted him, or quoted him out of context.
In 2006, Tony Attwood surveyed 238 children and adolescents with Asperger's Syndrome at his clinic.
Results showed:
| Problems with organizational skills | 81% |
| Short term memory problems | 59% |
| Planning problems | 78% |
| Time management problems | 80% |
| Impulsive | 59% |
These are genuine difficulties with a neurobiological basis.
Children with Asperger's Syndrome have difficulties with Executive Function. They have difficulties with the following:
- Organizational and planning abilities
- Working memory
- Inhibition and impulse control
- Self-reflection and self-monitoring
- Time management and prioritizing
- Understanding complex or abstract concepts
- Using new strategies
Or as Tony Attwood put it, many children with Asperger's Syndrome “couldn't organize a piss-up in a brewery!” (In Australian slang, piss-up means heavy consumption of alcohol).
Tony Attwood reported children and adolescents with Asperger's Syndrome need an ‘Executive Secretary’ especially in High School.
The role of Executive Secretary is usually performed by the mother. The Executive Secretary needs to maintain ongoing contact with the High School. The student Asperger's Syndrome will need help with time management to ensure they complete assignments and projects on time.
Asperger's Syndrome and Attention Deficit Disorder
Tony Attwood reported at least 75% of children with Asperger's syndrome also have a profile indicative of Attention Deficit Disorder.
The four components of attention include:
- The ability to sustain attention
- Pay attention to relevant information
- Shift attention when needed
- Encode attention — to remember what was attended to
Strategies to assist with attention difficulties include:
- Relevant information should be highlighted
- Assignments should be broken down into smaller units, in keeping with the child's attention span
- The teacher should regularly monitor and give feedback to maintain attention
- The amount of environmental distractions should be reduced
- A quiet, isolated work space should be provided
