Asperger’S Syndrome

This paper gives an overview of Asperger’s Syndrome. I chose to discuss Asperger’s Syndrome because I feel it is important to raise awareness and educate people about disabilities they may see within other individuals in their community. As an elementary education major, there is a good chance that I will work with students who have Asperger’s Syndrome in my pre-service teaching or in my future classroom. I wanted to dig a little deeper into the topic to obtain more knowledge about it. First, I will define Asperger Syndrome and explain the characteristics a person with it may display. Second, I will discuss what it is like living with Asperger’s and the challenges an individual may face. That will be followed by the types of interventions and strategies that can be used for people with Asperger’s. Finally, I will summarize what research says about these individuals and the look term outlook.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) definition of Autism is a “developmental disability affecting verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction, generally evident before age 3 that adversely affects a child’s educational performance.” (Hewerd 258).   Asperger Syndrome falls under this umbrella because it is an Autistic spectrum disorder. It is often considered a high functioning form of autism. Princeton University defines it as a “developmental disorder related to autism and characterized by higher than average intellectual ability coupled with impaired social skills and restrictive, repetitive patterns of interest and activities.” The main characteristic that separates a person with Asperger’s apart from other types of Autism is that they have difficulty with nonverbal communication in social situations, such as problems with eye contact, facial expressions, body postures, or gestures. They may speak in a monotone and may not respond to or pick up on other people's comments or emotions. They often have trouble in understanding sarcasm and...