Article

by Cathy Pratt, Ph.D.

Added: 08/31/2005

First Published: Autism Spectrum Quarterly, summer 2004

On any given day, a parent or educator may call asking for recommendations for a student on the autism spectrum who is engaging in problematic behavior, or who is experiencing failure in school. Typically, comments revolve around the nature of the difficulties, the impact on the student and others, and the precipitating events (e.g., asked to do a difficult task, unstructured time, noise, an unexpected change, etc.) that have occurred that might provide insight into the situation. While all of these factors are important, one part of the equation is typically missing from these conversations: What role does the school culture play in supporting the student?... ( full article )

by Richard Howlin, Dipl. Psych., Ph.D. Clinical Developmental Psychologist

Sensory–motor difficulty has long been established as a common diagnostic feature of Asperger syndrome. (AS). Observations of both clinicians and parents have documented the frequency of clumsiness and fine motor difficulties in the AS population. It remains unclear why children with AS are particularly vulnerable to this problem. Yet new theories on brain functioning and social processing may shed some important light on the matter... ( full article )

by Scott Krimer

Employees with Asperger Syndrome and Their Employers: The following tips were generated from the on-the-job experience of Scott Krimer, son of Asperger Society of Michigan president, Eileen Krimer. For the past 2 1/2 years, Scott has worked at Bivouac, Inc., a retail establishment in Ann Arbor, MI and has proven himself to be a much valued and integral member of the staff. Scott was initially hired in part-time to do computer data entry work, but has since progressed to a full-time position where he also troubleshoots the computer system and the business software, and is the liaison with the software company... ( full article )

by Mary F. Spence, Ph.D.

by Rachel Feinberg

"A smooth sea never made a skilled mariner;" this Old English proverb truly epitomizes the trials and tribulations I went through while being raised along side my older brother, a child diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, Andy. Witnessing the hardships he had to endure in order to simply get by in a world not suited to him made me acknowledge and appreciate the sometimes overlooked aspects of a regular lifestyle. In addition, I learned a lot about myself as a person and how to approach every situation with a light heart and a significant amount of compassion... ( full article )