Asperger Syndrome

Supporting Parents of Children with Asperger Syndrome: Resources and Strategies

Parenting itself is a tough job, but when parenting a child with Asperger syndrome, the level of difficulty takes another step upward. But as parents, we love our children, and it becomes difficult to support them when they have syndromes such as Asperger syndrome. 

Children with Asperger syndrome have difficulty carrying out social interaction and difficulty with their motor skills.  They have difficulty understanding a social cue and respond inappropriately to any social situation. Their repetitive behavior and difficulty in verbal communication get in the way of proper social interaction. 

As a result, parents struggle to try to provide their children with the best support. But there is no need to worry. It can help them cope with patience, time, and care.

Why Is It Hard For Parents With Asperger’s Children?

Why Is It Hard For Parents With Asperger's Children

It is difficult for parents to believe or accept that their children have Asperger syndrome. As the parents notice their behaviors, the symptoms become more and more prominent.

At first, such children have difficulty making eye contact, then they start inappropriate social responses, and they get worked up by noises. During early childhood, such children also have a hard time at daycare.

Noticing their children behave almost unusually makes parents feel heartbroken. Many of them are not ready to accept such symptoms. The hardest part yet is to take the child to the experts for psychological assessment. Accepting the results after diagnosis is even more difficult. But there are ways to help parents of children with Asperger syndrome.

Tips For Parents Of Children With Asperger Syndrome

As a parent, you should not shelter your child from settings and situations that might set them off. It is better to expose them little by little to social situations. This will help you and your child to work through different social situations and improve their behavior over time.

You and your child will learn to navigate different social situations while dealing with Asperger syndrome. Also, you should learn about the different triggers that set your child off. This allows you to prepare with the necessary mechanisms to diffuse those triggers or prevent inappropriate behaviors.

1. Explain To Them Clearly

You cannot expect a child with Asperger’s symptoms to display a desired set of behaviors. They do not know how to behave during a difficult social situation, and they need a clear explanation from their parents on a desired behavior. As a parent, what you can do is to guide them through the appropriate behavior in those settings with the use of age-appropriate language.

Your emotional response should also be based on your and your child’s social situation. Given their level of difficulty, you may have to repeat the instructions. Your child may take a little more getting used to, but with time, they will better understand how to present positive behavior in diverse social settings.

2. Embrace Them When They Open Up

Yes, Asperger children do not have normal social behaviors. And you have set out to change them for the better. But this effort should not make you deny the passionate, creative, and humorous sides that your child already possesses. They may have trouble interacting socially, but it is still possible for Asperger children to have creative sides that also need your warm embrace.

They can feel exhausted by so many areas they are already working on to improve with you. On top of that, if you stop embracing their positive sides, it will become more difficult for them to enjoy a social life. I know the possibility of their next Asperger breakout keeps you at bay. But they also require positive reinforcement that makes them feel valued and loved in a social situation.

3. Diffuse The Situation Without Making It Worse

Parents of children with Asperger syndrome should try to diffuse if any situations relating to their child’s condition were to arise. When the child has an outburst in a social setting, yelling at them will conclude in destructive results. Suppose you were at the candy shop, and the shop has run out of the favorite ones they wanted.

If the child, in this case, cries, screams, or does something similar, you should not handle the situation by yelling. Instead, point their attention to another activity. You could ask them to walk with you and let them gain their composure.

Later, when they are calm, you can explain the situation to them and help them with possible ways of regulating their emotions if such situations were to arise again.

4. Help Them Organize & Build An Environment

Children with Asperger syndrome like to follow a routine that organizes their day through a routine. It would help if parents made a routine of things the child has to do throughout the day. A daily schedule or a to-do list for the morning, day, and evening activities keeps their day in a certain predictable order.

Children with Asperger syndrome also have difficulty with sensory overload. They cannot handle too much noise, smell, or visual distraction. Parents can help by preparing a home where they don’t feel distracted by excessive smell, taste, and visual distractions.

5. Teach Them Self Dependence

Teach Them Self Dependence

All children should learn to become dependent on themselves at some point in their lives. Children with Asperger syndrome are no different compared to other children. If your child shows a little sense of taking any responsibility, you should start teaching them little by little.

Again, even in this case also, they may need to get used a lot. But, once you keep teaching them, they will be proud of themselves. For some skills, they may lack courage and need some push from their parents to develop them. In that case, you have to come forward as a parent.

Early Signs of Asperger’s Syndrome in Young Children

Here are the key indicators – 

  1. Hyperfocus on specific interests
  2. Avoidance of routine
  3. Issues in social interactions
  4. Sensory sensitivity
  5. Lack of pretend play

These key indicators often appear quite early and dramatically affect the development of children with Asperger’s syndrome in social, emotional, and cognitive areas. These insights are useful for parents as well as caregivers who look for early interventions and support.

Hyperfocus on Specific Interests

Children with Asperger’s syndrome tend to be obsessively interested in certain things, such as dinosaurs or trains. Hyperfocus may create a deep reservoir of knowledge in those areas, but it also may keep those kids from engaging in various interests. 

Routines are also rigid, and change is uncomfortable, as the child with Asperger’s takes solace in predictability but has trouble finding their way into new situations.

Challenges in Social Interactions

Social interactions may be exhausting for these children: they may be unable to read hidden social cues and make reciprocal responses. Such children may avoid eye contact or pay no attention to other people’s feelings in due time. 

This often results in misunderstandings and isolation from their peers. Sensory sensitivity may become another significant source of discomfort for children who react negatively to some sounds, textures, or lights that a neurotypical person wouldn’t even notice.

Difficulty with Pretend Play

Perhaps most obviously, children with Asperger’s tend to have difficulty pretending, especially in more imaginative situations. Some prefer literal activities and may find abstract thinking difficult while pretending to fulfill imaginative games. It would make their socialization more difficult.

Early Intervention and Support

Early recognition of these signs would provide instant access to the support and resources available for the support of such children with Asperger’s. The difficulties would be manageable, and their unique strengths would be capitalized on, if handled early with a supportive environment.

Final Thoughts

When it comes to tips and helps for parents of children with Asperger syndrome, there is little information. However, if you follow the different tips mentioned here, you will move towards a positive result. However, if things become more difficult, try contacting a psychologist or expert in the field for consultation.

I hope that this article was helpful. However, if you have any more questions relating to the same matter, you can comment below to let you know.

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Shahnawaz Alam

editor

Shahnawaz is a dreamer, a living jukebox of rhetoric, music, art, poetry, and comics. Son to a single father, Shahnawaz has always been a keen observer of parenting – more importantly, looking at parenting from different angles. Shahnawaz holds a master's degree in English literature and loves to spend time in nature, admiring its beauty. While he’s not pondering upon the dynamics of parent-children relationships, he lets J. Alfred Prufrock be the piper of Hamelin and often sleepwalks to his monologues.

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