I am blessed to have family just down the street from us. Seriously, one of the best things ever! My kids have cousins down the street and all 7 of them run between houses playing together! My sister- in-law, Valerie, and I have been walking regularly for several months now. It was while we were walking that we came up with this series to share with you!
You see, one of those nephews down the street has Aspergers and because they live down the street and are in and out of my house nearly daily, I have learned a lot about what makes him tick, what helps him calm down, what will NOT help calm him down, and so on. I love my nephew and will share more later how hard it is that he is misunderstood, especially for his parents. I’ve defended him in public a few times and have experienced just a tiny glimpse into what it would be like to live with others misunderstanding your child.
Since Valerie doesn’t have a blog , I have asked her to share with my readers about life with her aspie!! I’m praying it will bless and encourage you!
Before we get to Valerie I wanted to very quickly give some of you a summary of Aspergers if you aren’t familiar with it!! This syndrome is on the autism spectrum, which means it is autism, but different . Or as stated below, those with Asperger’s Disorder have a “dash” of autism.
The Autism Society says this about Asperger’s:
“Asperger’s Disorder was first described in the 1940s by Viennese pediatrician Hans Asperger, who observed autistic-like behaviors and difficulties with social and communication skills in boys who had normal intelligence and language development. Many professionals felt Asperger’s Disorder was simply a milder form of autism and used the term “high-functioning autism” to describe these individuals. Uta Frith, a professor at the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience of University College London and editor ofAutism and Asperger Syndrome, describes individuals with Asperger’s Disorder as “having a dash of Autism.”
In his book
- lack of empathy
- naive, inappropriate, one-sided interaction
- little or no ability to form friendships
- pedantic, repetitive speech
- poor non-verbal communication
- intense absorption in certain subjects
- clumsy and ill-coordinated movements and odd postures
I’m very excited about this series because I know it will be a huge blessing to any of you that have a child with Asperger’s. I have seen, first hand, the discouragement and frustrated attempts at helping others to understand. I pray that will bless the moms out there who desperately want the world to love their child with Asperger’s!
Life with Asperger’s Series Posts:
**note these links will not work until each post is live!
Day 1 ~ Introduction
Day 2 ~ 8 Ways to Help Calm an Asperger’s Child
Day 3 ~ Verses to Pray over your Child
Day 4 ~ Resources & Links to Help Parents
Day 5 ~ Words of Encouragement Other Moms
Guest Post ~ Wendy shares her heart about having a teen son with Aspgerger’s
Guest Post ~ Laura shares how she has found peace despite the Asperger’s diagnosis
Love it! Can’t wait to read the rest! Thanks for loving my boy!
Can’t wait to read this series! Will definitely be pinning and sharing on my FB page! 🙂
love it I am still learning and trying to understand love papa
Great idea! Can’t wait to read this series. I have two boys with Asperger’s and one with Autism. My younger boys are in public school, but my older was homeschooled all the way through. He graduated this past summer.
Lisa @All That and a Box of Rocks
Awesome, Lisa! I didn’t realize you had 3 on the spectrum. Wow. Prayers for you!!
Never a dull moment! 🙂
I shared this on the FIAR FB page today! Hopefully someone there will be helped by it.
Awesome, thanks!
This series will be interesting to read. I have 2 on the autism spectrum/Aspies w/ADHD & learning disabilities. I have home schooled them through high school. We continue to work on daily life skills & are working with Dept of Vocational Rehabilitation for job coaching. My son is 23 & my daughter is 21. They weren’t diagnosed until 14 yrs old.