Asperger's Disorder

A highly verbal, socially constricted, intensely focused child who cannot tolerate sensory-perceptual overload such as loud or sudden noises.*

Assessment - Diagnosis

Asperger Syndrome
Basic Information, Guidelines for Assessment and Diagnosis, and Guidelines for Treatment & Intervention.
(Yale Child Study Center)
http://info.med.yale.edu/chldstdy/autism/aspergers.html

Asperger's Disorder - DSM IV Definition
Differential Diagnosis of Asperger's Disorder, distinct from PDD, and Autistic Disorder.
(BehaveNet)
http://www.behavenet.com/capsules/disorders/asperger.htm

Autistic savant
A short & sweet discussion of the "autistic savant", as presented in Rain Man etc. Interesting.
(Stephen Edelson, Ph.D.)
http://www.autism.org/savant.html

What is Asperger Syndrome?
A basic primer, good parent resource. Includes links to local chapters, live chat, etc.
(Asperger Syndrome Educational Network)
http://www.aspennj.org/WhatIsAS.html

Subjective Experience

Asperger Syndrome: A Developmental Puzzle
A brief but interesting developmental overview from someone with Asperger's. (Michael McCroskery)
http://www.aspennj.org/michael.html

Little Professor Syndrome
"They talk like adults and often have sky-high I.Q.'s, but their social skills are nonexistent. Can kids with Asperger's syndrome, a recently diagnosed form of autism, harvest their strange talents in adulthood?" ( NY Times Magazine June 18, 2000)
http://www.nytimes.com/library/magazine/home/20000618mag-asperger.htm

My Experiences with Visual Thinking Sensory Problems and Communication Difficulties"
Fascinating first-hand account of autism and strategies for survival in a non-autistic world.
From Temple Grandin, Ph.D., Center for the Study of Autism.
http://www.autism.org/temple/visual.html

Tony Attwood Interviews Temple Grandin
Dr. Attwood interviews Temple Grandin in front of a live audience(12-99). Dr. Grandin vividly describes autism through the prism of her own life and sheds new light on the role of calming, social challenges, and use of "visual humour". Amazing.
http://www.fenichel.com/Temple-Tony.html

What the DSM IV Means to Me....  by a woman with AS
From the Online Asperger Information and Support (OASIS) website. An eye-opening look at how a child with Asperger may look to a teacher, and be described on a student's report card.
http://www.udel.edu/bkirby/asperger/asmeans1.html

Treatment

Boston Higashi School
This is a unique international school program of "integration/inclusion", where over 20% of the students in the classrooms are autistic. Based on the pioneering work of Tokyo's Musashino Higashi Gakuen School.
http://www.bostonhigashi.org/home.html

Cure Autism Now (CAN)
A broad compilation of resources discussing research, education, parenting and treatment.
http://www.cureautismnow.org/

LindaMood Bell
She claims to have an educational approach "proven effective" with Asperger's syndrome, just as she does with dyslexia. Is this the answer?
http://www.lindamoodbell.com/

Teaching Tips for Children and Adults with Autism
More pure gold, from Temple Grandin, updated June 2000.
(Center for the Study of Autism)
http://www.autism.org/temple/tips.html

Temple Grandin's Hug Machine
Complete with photos, a short article by Stephen M. Edelson, Ph.D., from the Center for the Study of Autism.
http://www.autism.org/hugbox.html

The UCLA Young Autism Project
Interesting, research-based analysis of treatment approaches. By Dr. O Ivar Lovaas, who, along with Kanner, Asperger, Fenichel, and Bettelheim, was one of the first major discussants about the phenomenon of child autism and its treatment.
http://www.feat.org/docs/lovaas_full.htm

* Note: The topical description above was offered solely as a talking point and "organizer" in discussing several children presented as part of a peer supervision group on AS. It is neither complete nor does it entail all of the DSM diagnostic criteria (see link above). Originally intended only for members of an AS study group, this page has recently been made available to both professionals and the general public following the recent increase in interest and awareness of Asperger's Disorder.

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