Asperger's Syndrome

Asperger's Disorder is a subgroup of Autistic Spectrum or Pervasive Developmental Disorders ("PDD"). In Asperger's Disorder, affected individuals are characterized by social isolation and eccentric behavior in childhood. There are impairments in two-sided social interaction and non-verbal communication. Though grammatical, their speech may sound peculiar due to abnormalities of inflection and a repetitive pattern. Clumsiness may be prominent both in their articulation and gross motor behavior. They usually have a circumscribed area of interest which usually leaves no space for more age appropriate, common interests. Some examples are cars, trains, French Literature, door knobs, hinges, cappucino, meteorology, astronomy or history. The name "Asperger" comes from Hans Asperger, an Austrian physician who first described the syndrome in 1944. (quoted from Asperger's Disorder Homepage)

Art and Play offer a non-verbal avenue of communication that the child can use to overcome verbal difficulties. Exploring real feelings in the therapy hour gently through nonverbal ways give the child both security and a vocabulary to express emotions.

The child's visual and kinaesthetic explorations in Art and Play help broaden his/her mental landscape by opening the gateway to the imagination and by bringing flexibility to the child's thinking. Sensorial challenges can also be approached and managed through hands-on exercises.

For a list of resources on Asperger's syndrome, visit: Society of Special Needs Adoptive Parents

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