Asperger's syndrome

NOTE: I'm not a psychologist, but I have Asperger's myself. Take my advice with a grain of salt, since I don't know your kid. Everyone is different, but this is the education that would've been the best for me when I was a kid.

Most of all, you should respect him. I have mild asperger's syndrome, and my teachers treated me as a full-blown retard. Not the kind of treatment you want during high school.

When he does something wrong, tell him. A lot of people make the mistake of being too lenient on misbehaving kids with Asperger's because they "can't help it". That's bullshit. They can help it, it's just that they don't know what they're doing wrong. If you tell them, they're very likely to adjust their behavior.

When it comes to social interaction: Try to push him gently in new situations. I read a comment that said "don't force him to make friends". That's only true to some extent. If he doesn't like a certain kid, he's probably never going to best mates with him. But he should be able to be on good terms with everyone. If he's getting too lonely, you should stimulate him to be more extraverted. It's crucial for him to practice his social skills.

But make sure that he does social stuff he enjoys. For example, if he hates baseball, don't make him join a baseball team. He'll suck at the sport and be ridiculed. Advise him to do an extracurricular activity he's good at, and where he can meet new people. They say people with Asperger's need their alone-time, but like any human being they need a good base of social interaction as well.

Since you've got several kids under your wing, you could organize a little get-together every now and then. That's good for all the kids, not just the one with Asperger's.

And last but not least: be there for him when he needs you, but don't smother him. The major mistake schools make is smothering these kids. Allow him to learn for himself. Don't make him completely dependent on other people's help.

That's all I've got. I hope some of my advice was useful.

You can be his friend at the very least, even if he cant make any others.

Well, according to my doctor, I was currently diagnosed with Aspergers syndrome, myself. I don't know much about it, to be frank, or whether there different levels, but for me, going through high school, I didn't have much friends either. I was a loner, but I enjoyed being by myself. I was never a social person. I was bullied here to there, but I overcame that, and, in all honesty, I was proud of who I was. I would say, don't worry about it. I don't know what level of Aspergers he may have, but if he's like me, he will find his own way.

i have the syndrome too but i all i have ever done was wallow in my misery when i got to high it was difficult and i read about people with our syndromes and saw all the disadvantages then when i saw the advantages i saw i could end up using these to be a more intelligent person than most people and it so far is working out very well

:o)

I cant agree with VioletTrees more on not treating him like a child, cause it would more than likely just anger him, and most of the time, wont even think much of what happened (or he will think too much and end up messing up worse by trying too hard to fix it, out of fear) If you want to help him fix a problem, try talking to him privately, and make sure he clearly understands that:

1. You aren't mad at him for messing up.
2. make sure he is aware what he did was not the best thing to do CALMLY, and suggest to him ways he could fix it.
3.He may feel disappointment at first, but with a little time (and support), he should be able to recognize the mistake and go about fixing it.

If you yell at him or treat him like he is an idiot, he will (9 times out of 10) either blow up in your face, or get really scared and go out of his way to try to avoid the problem,and end up messing up elsewhere. If you treat him as a child alot, he will lose respect for you and not want to hear anything you have to say, even if its not said in anger.

also, even if you are a superior to him (a dad, boss, sargeant, policeman, etc), pulling rank on him is the best way to piss him off. They tend to see people equals, not superiors.

If you do blow up on him, (which will make him mad), if it happens rarely, he could probably forgive you once he cools down. Just don't make a habit of it.

Hope this helps, Legion
(yeah, i know its very long, lol)

Be his friend if he wants you to be, but don't try to fix him. Having Asperger Syndrome doesn't always lead to difficulty in school. Talk to him and listen, learn and respect his boundaries, and don't treat him like a child or like you pity him. Don't try to suppress his symptoms, either. No "quiet hands" bullshit. Autism is part of who he is, not something that just gets in the way of his life.

Don't force him to make friends if he doesn't want to.

I had some ground rump steak the other day, those were some fantastic assburgers...

OK sorry. The kid is probably real smart in one way or another, get him involved with the other smart kids. Computers, band, art, math or something. He might need to find out what his talents are, help him along with that.