What’s Asperger’s Syndrome? What you need to know
Parents: this is Step 3 of a three step series:
- Step 1. Your child has Asperger’s: What to do first
- Step 2. Asperger’s: Telling your child… A step-by-step plan
- Step 3. For kids: What is Asperger’s syndrome?
If you have been told you have Asperger’s Syndrome you probably are wondering, “What’s Asperger’s Syndrome?” This blog post explains Asperger’s Syndrome to you. It is important to note that some people refer to this simply as Asperger’s.
There are many different types of bodies and many different types of brains!
People come in all sorts of shapes and sizes; there are lots of different types of bodies! Part of growing up is discovering how to take care of your type of body. For example, if are allergic to bee stings, you need to be careful outside and carry special medication with you.
Although you usually cannot tell by looking, people’s brains are also very different. It doesn’t mean that one brain is better than another brain; it just means it is different.
For example, Becky might have a brain that makes it hard to learn to play soccer, but easy to learn to read. Joe might have a brain that makes it much harder to learn math, but easier to learn to catch a ball. Joe would need to work hard to learn math, and maybe take special classes to help him learn math.
Part of growing up is learning what you need to do to be happy and successful with your type of body and brain.
You may have noticed that sometimes you seem to think a little differently than some other people. That is because you have Asperger’s Syndrome, which means you have an Aspergers type of brain.
Here are a few things you should know about Asperger’s:
- More than one in one hundred people have Aspergers. So, although you may not know a lot of kids with with Aspergers, there are many other kids with this type of brain!
- Scientists believe Einstein and Abraham had this type of brain.
- Your works in a special way that makes some things easier.
- Your brain works in a special way that also makes some things harder.
- Scientists have spent a lot of time figuring out how to help people with Aspergers be happy and succesful. There are therapists, books, classes, videos, games, and even groups to help you.
Some things are easier for some people with Aspergers. For example, it may be easier to:
- Memorize and remember a lot of things such as dates, things that happened, or facts.
- Concentrate or focus on one thing.
- Find certain things interesting and like learning about them.
- Figure out how to do certain things, such as use computers.
- Be a loyal friend.
- Be honest.
- Hear or smell certain things.
Some things are harder for some people with Aspergers. For example, it may be harder to:
- Learn how to make friends.
- Know what to say or do social situations.
- Know how to join a group of people that are talking.
- Understand when or why people are upset or happy.
- Not be upset by certain noises or smells.
It might be interesting to make a list of things that seem harder for you and things that seem easier for you.
You can write this on a big sheet of paper, or type it on your computer. Try to think of as many examples as you can; you might be surprised to see how many things you are good at!
Whoever showed you this blog post cares about you. As time goes on, they will help you learn more about Aspergers. They will also help you learn about things you can do with your parents, teachers, therapists, or groups to make your life easier and happy.
*** If your friends or relatives ask you, “What’s Asperger’s syndrome?” show them this blog post! ***