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Meeting their needs
Introduction
These people are unique individuals. They are difficult for ordinary people to understand. Frequently they are regarded as ‘odd' individuals without the ability to respond appropriately in social situations.
Gillberg describes people with Asperger Syndrome as having a disorder of ‘empathy’ where the affected person is not able to ‘read’ situations appropriately. Consequently they appear immature and have poor friend-making and friend-keeping skills. This isolates them and can make them very vulnerable.
Therefore it is important for us to be empathetic to the Asperger person’s needs by trying to understand the condition, and how their various difficulties manifest themselves as behaviour.
It is important to allow their transition through school to be as easy as possible in order to maximise their learning, both socially and academically.
These people will never be cured but they can be given help in how to cope.
We can also help by making their environment as hazard-free as possible in order to maximise their learning potential - this is often called a 'Low arousal approach'
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© Jane Ellwood 2001