Children With Asperger's Syndrome, How to Treat Them

Asperger's Syndrome is an autism spectrum disorder whose intensity and symptoms vary from person to person. Learn more.

How should you treat children with Asperger’s syndrome? With love, as with all children.

Asperger’s syndrome is an autism spectrum disorder whose intensity and symptoms vary from person to person. In this post, we don’t intend to usurp the tasks of specialists who are the ones who determine whether or not the child presents this condition of the autism spectrum and what their recommendations would be for its treatment.

However, there is a series of tips that for you, as a parent, will be of help and will facilitate the task so that your child’s development and well-being are not affected by Asperger’s.

What is Asperger’s syndrome?

Asperger’s syndrome is an autism spectrum disorder that appears in early childhood (3 years) but is emphasized between 6 and 8 years, a period in which parents and caregivers of the child notice acute to severe differences or difficulties in the child’s social interaction and communication mode. Unlike autism, children with Asperger’s don’t have language problems or delays in understanding cognitive processes.

Asperger’s was first identified by the Austrian psychiatrist and pediatrician Hans Asperger. It’s mentioned for the first time in a scientific journal in 1981. That is, only a few decades have passed since the term was known on the scientific scene. Therefore, there’s still much to know about this syndrome.

Asperger’s is relatively new, so there are more doubts than certainties about it. Those who possess it identify themselves as aspis or as neuroatypical. It’s a condition that, with early treatment, consisting of developing and teaching social skills, can be controlled.

Asperger’s occurs in a higher proportion, or at least according to statistics, in boys than in girls. However, this has been questioned and it’s been pointed out that it’s not that boys possess it more frequently, but that it goes unnoticed in girls.

This syndrome is usually related to genius because people with Asperger’s usually develop an obsessive interest in subjects in which they specialize. From the time they’re children, they present highly developed language. Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, Keanu Reeves, and Steven Spielberg are said to be aspis.

Children with Asperger Syndrome, how to treat them

Fixed routines

The American Psychiatric Association recommends establishing and maintaining routines, rituals, and structures of predictable behavior and development that facilitate the child’s interaction with the world. That’s to say, attempt to design together with the child and the family the complete school and family routine, including meals, play, and study schedules that allow their incorporation into the world without trauma.

Learn more about the Asperger’s

Parents should learn about Asperger’s syndrome and make the diagnosis known to the child without this establishing a priori an impediment or limitation for their development. That is, avoid assuming that the child won’t be able to do or tolerate this or that thing before it happens. Access specialized information that’s provided by parents’ associations and civic organizations.

Participate with the child in activities organized by NGOs that work for children with Asperger’s, keep in touch with other parents who have children with the condition and also with adults who have this condition, exchange information with them, and create support networks.

Be their “cheerleader”

Yes, become your child’s “cheerleader”. Motivate them to achieve their goals, help the child and their environment to become aware of the syndrome, reinforce their values, and encourage them to participate in activities in which they can highlight their qualities; this way, their self-esteem, and security will be reinforced.

Avoid making unhealthy criticisms or hurtful comments toward the child, respect the space of solitude that they demand, ensuring that they’re not prolonged times. Help them develop their special interests and become an expert on those topics. Acknowledge and celebrate their differences.