[The following is how Ray presented Asperger’s Syndrome to his 3rd grade classmates. Feel free to borrow part of, or the entire, text]
Hello all,
As you know already, my name is Ray. What you may not know about me is that I have something called Asperger’s Syndrome.
Asperger’s Syndrome was discovered by Dr. Hans Asperger. He discovered that in some children the brain develops differently than usual. These children have things they are very good at, and things that are hard for them. Usually, kids with Asperger’s have a very good memory, a developed musical sense, and specific topics in which they are extremely interested. On the other hand, they have a harder time communicating with other people – verbal communication and non-verbal communication, and because of this it is harder for them to make friends with other kids. Sometimes they also have other difficulties, like being very picky eaters, or not being good at sports, or being sore losers.
Kids who have Asperger’s also have a hard time talking to others because a lot of times kids with Asperger’s are interested in very specific topics, and maybe their friends are interested in other topics.
It sounds like it is hard to deal with Asperger’s, right? So you should know that with help, also kids with Asperger’s can do anything other kids can – they just need to practice it more. Kids with Asperger’s can get help from friends, family, teachers and counselors at school, and also people outside the school that help them succeed in things that are hard for them.
You must have noticed that I love reading and have a very good memory. These are skills I have thanks to the Asperger’s. The Asperger’s also causes me to be able to concentrate on one thing for a long time. The topics I am interested in are mainly history and geography.
I am sure you also noticed that I am not so good at soccer or ball games – this is also because I have Asperger’s, and because of that my muscles are weaker. Other things that are hard for me because I have Asperger’s is that it is hard for me to hold a conversation, especially about topics that don’t interest me. It is also hard for me to ask friends to join their game, and I don’t always understand what people are saying to me, and even more so when you try to tell me something using body language or facial expressions. Sometimes it is because I interpret things very literally, so for example if someone in a game says “I will kill you” I can think they really mean it.
Because I have Asperger’s I also really really like for things to happen as planned. That is the reason I get stressed many times if there is a change in the plans or if I think something is not succeeding or will not work out well. Sometimes the thing that helps me calm down is talking to myself or repeating the same action or walking the same path many times.
All these things cause me to have a hard time at school, and there are several ways in which you can help me. I would be happy if you invite me to play during recess, because sometimes it is hard for me to ask you to join. But, sometimes I just want to be alone, so if I don’t want to come to play please accept that and don’t try to convince me to join.
Also, it will help me if sometimes you explain to me what you mean (for example say “just kidding” if you didn’t mean what you said seriously) or explain to me what the conversation is about, so it is easier for me to join. If I get stressed, you can remind me to do the yoga move “volcano” to help me relax – here – this is how you do it.
Before I finish up, I want to tell you that many famous people had communication difficulties like Asperger’s. For example, Albert Einstein also had a very hard time and didn’t have friends when he was a child. I am sure that just like he succeeded in finding something very important in which he is really good, I will also be able to do something important in the world.
Thanks for listening to me. Does anyone have any questions?
GoodEnoughParenting 