REFLECTION ABOUT CHILDREN WITH SYNDROME OF ASPERGER (SANDRA FERNÁNDEZ DEL CASTILLO)

The other day we saw a video in class talking about people who had Asperger Syndrome. Looking for information about this síndrome we can say that the accurate and reliable diagnosis can only be performed by a specialist doctor and the treatment the same. However, there are some characteristics that can be observed by the parents or teachers when their children are between 2 and 7 years old to identify Asperger Syndrome. Some of these characteristics are:

- Social skills and emotional control: they have problems to relate to other children, it is difficult to identify feelings and those of others, don’t fully understand the intentions of others, they don’t like leaving home, they have conflicts with others etc.

- Communication skills: they don’t usually look to your eyes when they are having a conversation, sometimes they are absent, it’s hard to them to understand long conversations, they believe everything that people told to they and do not understand the ironies etc.

-  Comprehension skills: They have an exceptional memory for facts and dates, particular sense of humor, they learn  to read alone at an early age, difficulty to understand complex questions etc.

- Specific Interests: they like routine, when there is a particular issue that they like, they  think, talk or write about the issue for a long time, without thinking in the opinion of others etc.

- Movement Skills: poor motor coordination.

In summary, and taking a small definition that a girl said in the video, a person with Asperger's syndrome would be a person who wants to fit in but do not know what you're doing wrong. Therefore we must solve the exclusion that occurs to them because they are all equal and we have to have the same opportunities.

SO… WHAT CAN WE DO IF WE HAVE CHILDREN WITH SYNDROME OF ASPERGER IN CLASS?

First of all I think that we should be patient and be aware of the characteristics that present these children. I also think that it is important to adapt the materials to class with these students in order to promote their integration into the group, ie, do not teach them apart, but they are taught as everyone else but we as teachers are in charge lower or raise the level so that everyone feels comfortable. Another important thing is to be aware of situations that may occur among children, as might please children make them bullying by some of the characteristics that they have, as we saw in the video class, we must be vigilant and not let it produce these unpleasant situations. Another interesting thing is to teach children to make friends and to relate to others, because it is something that costs them more. We could also teach how to solve problems that may arise from them, reward them and all children when the objectives are achieved. Although there are to treat everyone equally I think it would be a good idea to have a little more time for these children since the objective is that can be integrated and this involves a long process. In my opinion I think it is also important to maintain relationships with parents, to be informed of the problems that may have children with this syndrome because they tend not to say the things because they are quieter and more silence tan others. Finally, I think it is also important to teach this child to control their emotions because it is something that usually costs them, they do not think things and we need to teach them to control and teach them how to act in different situations. WE NEED TO CREATE A GOOD ATMOSPHERE IN CLASS TO MAKE EVERYONE FEEL COMFORTABLE AND INTEGRATED!!!