| Copyright 2006 Julie Shepherd Knapp |
| Copyright 2006 Julie Shepherd Knapp. All rights reserved. |
| about the book |
| The Homeschool Diner's Guide to Gifted Homeschooling -- Twice Exceptional Resources for Specific Disabilities Aspergers Syndrome (AS) in Gifted Children aka Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) aka Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) aka High Functioning Autism (HFA) by Julie Shepherd knapp, copyright 2006 Many children with ASD are low-functioning, but those diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome can be highly intelligent. While Aspergers is not classified as a learning disability, it is a disorder that impacts learning. Children with this disorder show serious impairment in understanding and using non-verbal communication, and in learning social skills. They may speak and read at an early age but have difficulty with language comprehension and usage, and interpret information very literally. There can be a misdiagnosis of Aspergers in gifted children who are socially awkward or just a little "quirky" because the diagnosis is based entirely on behavioral observation, not test results. On the other hand, some gifted children may not meet the behavioral criteria of "significant impairment" required for an Aspergers diagnosis, but may have enough of the symptoms that they would benefit from educational and behavioral strategies designed to help those with Aspergers. If you are wondering if your gifted child might have aspergers, or just "how quirky" a child must be to be diagnosed with aspergers, take a look at the two websites below. They have diagnostic scales that may help you decide if it is as issue you might need to look into. Two websites specialize in Aspergers Syndrome -- O.A.S.I.S. and Tony Attwood's website. Both sites present diagnostic criteria/scales, but note their differing descriptions of "What is Aspergers?" Tony Attwood presents a much more positive view in his discussion. Some Information on Aspergers and Gifted Children Gifted Children with Aspergers from the Davidson Institute The misdiagnosis of highly gifted children as having Aspergers, from Supporting the Emotional Needs of the Gifted (SENG) "The Geek Syndrome" - Aspergers diagnosis is on the rise in "Silicon Valley", the computer industry center located in California The "Knack" -- short video clip, engineer humor ;-) Teaching strategies and educational needs of children with Aspergers: (also helpful for children who are "just a bit Aspie") The Discovery of "Aspie" Criteria by Attwood and Gray -- to find this wonderfully positive article, click on "Publications" in the upper menu, then "Books by Tony Attwood" then "Books and Resouce Papers by Tony". Scroll down to "archived papers authored by tony et al" and click on the title -- "The Discovery of “Aspie” Criteria". Here is a quote: "...the change from [the label] Asperger’s Syndrome to "aspie" holds interesting implications and opportunities. It could result in typical people rethinking their responses and rescuing a missed opportunity to take advantage of the contribution of aspies to culture and knowledge...." The Son-Rise Program -- from the Autism Treatment Center of America, "...your child may be highly verbal with a high I.Q. while experiencing huge struggles socially—but we see a child who can learn to look into another person's eyes with shared joy, laugh at jokes, find diverse interests and become truly successful at building meaningful friendships.."" All Things Aspergers -- a website by a person diagnosed with aspergers. Includes an online book club for parents! Tammy Glaser's "Aut" to be Home - a website, support group, and "blog ring" for bloggers who homeschool children with autism, plus lists of other resources and support groups Gifted-NLD-AS -- a Yahoo! support group for parents of gifted children with either Aspergers or Non-Verbal Learning Disorder As You Like It -- a Yahoo! Group for families with Asbergers Visit the Homeschool Diner's general Aspergers page for more resources and support groups |
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