Helping your teen cope with Aspergers

Parents know that their job is to protect their children, and when there are crisis points in a family's life it can be especially tough on the parents. Children are often more resilient than the parent dealing with the trauma, but when those difficulties are ongoing, and often misunderstood by those around you, it is doubly difficult. Aspergers Syndrome is much better understood than it was a couple of decades ago, but it is still subject to misconceptions, and certain behaviors regarded as odd by the general populace.

There is no more difficult time for an Aspergers sufferer than the teen years, and parents of teens with Aspergers find it especially tough supporting them through this period in their life. It helps to have support outside of the home, and it is strongly advisable to join an Aspergers support group, and find other parents who have Aspergers teens, their advice can often be better than that of the medical profession! Some ideas, mostly from parents with experience, are outlined below.

• Advocate for your child at school, high school is especially difficult for Aspergers sufferers, and teachers sometimes need educating about this condition


• Your teen should have an Individual education plan, smaller class sizes and counseling support to function well in public school, you may need a lawyer to enforce this!


• Teach your teen how to handle an overwhelming experience at school, find a place where they can be quiet, a counselor who will listen, somewhere that they feel safe


• If your teen is miserable at school and the teaching staff seems oblivious, consider a specialist school or boarding school where they can get the proper attention and understanding


• Alcohol and drugs are especially dangerous for Aspergers teens and often have an adverse reaction with the medication they may be taking. You have to explain in absolute detail what would happen if they consumed either. Use the fact that most Aspergers sufferers are very rule orientated by repeatedly telling them that drugs and alcohol are illegal.


• Sex is not a topic you can avoid or dilute. If you do not feel comfortable about this find an expert who is. Whether you have strong feelings about this or not, or even religious convictions, none of this will help your Aspergers teen. They have to know in specific, clear detail what sex is, what is inappropriate and how to know what is NOT ok and how to report it. They also have to know how to manage their own physical behavior, what is acceptable or not in terms of physical contact that they initiate or affection that they demonstrate.

There is a lot of good information about how to help your Asperger's teen available on the Internet, educate yourself first, and then educate your teen!