What problems do teenagers with Asperger’s syndrome face to achieve success in school and how can they be helped?
Introduction
In a culture where being social and outgoing are prized above all else, it can be difficult, even shameful, to be different. For example if you have Asperger’s. But Asperger’s also brings extraordinary talents and abilities to the world, and should be encouraged and celebrated. (SOURCE 1). As Hans Asperger’s once said: “Everything that steps out of line, and thus abnormal, is not necessarily inferior.” (SOURCE 2).
Having Asperger’s can cause problems. In this paper, the focus will be on teenagers. In this stage of life, a lot of changes are going on. Besides all the other things going on in the life of teenagers, school is probably the hardest thing for them to concentrate on. So what problems do teenagers with Asperger’s’s syndrome face to achieve success in school and how can they be helped facing them?
First I would like to explain what Asperger’s is. Then I would like to focus on the problems that teenagers have to face in school. Finally I pay attention to the way Asperger’s teenagers can be supported by their schools, by their parents and by themselves.
Brief introduction to Asperger’s’s
Asperger’s syndrome is a developmental disability under the umbrella of autism. It affects the way you develop and the way you understand the world. In general people with Asperger’s or High Functioning Autism have a normal or high intelligence and have to cope with three major areas of impairment. These impairments are in communication, social interaction and imagination. Repetitive behavior, obsession and sensory problems are also often part of the problem, though not always present. (SOURCE 3).
The problems areas affect every Aspie differently. In communication problems, some Aspies may not talk at all, while others seem to speak rather differently or have difficulties in understanding a lot of other forms of communication such as...