What is Asperger’ syndrome?
According to dictionary; is a type of autism in which someone does not develop normal social abilities and is often very interested in one particular subject.
And what is autism?
Autism is a condition that starts in young children and typically causes behavior that is unusual centered on a self while limiting the development of social and communication skills.
As you see in the definitions is a type of autism, but this doesn’t mean that the person has a mental problem as most people consider the condition.
Pros and Cons
A student with this condition will give you lots of teaching moments because they are extremely concentrated in a particular topic. They have excessive imagination when creating stories and their conversations are profound with extended research and reading. If you have a student with Asperger’s syndrome in your class, you will discover that they have strong will and perseverance. When you give them a task, they won’t stop until is done.
While all that seems like a perfect student, there are also things that you need to pay extra attention to. For example, whenever they make expositions, you need to be firm with the timing because they tend to prolong their speaking hours and will take you to Pluto back and forth if necessary. Also, whenever there is an open class, monitor their speaking too because they are very honest and won’t identify easily when to stop giving their opinions about other’s people’s points of views.
Recognize and identify
If you see a student that will finish your lesson notes and exercise and then open another notebook and start writing nonstop; it might be one little sign. Also, if they have vast knowledge of random topics such as mythology or philosophical speeches it could be another subtle sign. When they like one topic, they need to go in depth with it until there’s no more knowledge left to learn about it; some will even start their own updating research on it and possible spend their lifetime updating it. When they practice sports, they do want to win and they probably will because they are focus one hundred percent in the game as in any other activity. Don’t be surprise if this student gets upset for not getting the best score in your class. They do put lots of efforts; although they use their imagination too much and sometimes their fact analysis become metaphysical in the middle of the paper work. Leading back won’t be an easy thing, but is your job to point out the direction the paper should go.
Type of learning Styles
- Intrapersonal: They need to work on their own alone and they need lots of meditation. They like hiding to be able to work instead of working around people.
- Linguistic: They need to read and write a lot in order to use their imagination. They like playing with words and telling stories.
- Musical: They enjoy pure music, orchestral or instrumentals. They aren’t much keen to lyrics.
- Spatial: Due their imagination, they enjoy building and creating. So they can be very good at designing or editing.
LIDIA AVILES 