Guest guest Posted January 28, 2006 Report Share Posted January 28, 2006 Thanks , Following is a long paper on puberty and ASD given in a presentation in Florida recently. -Draft- Puberty, Adolescence and Autism Spectrum Disorder: Living through the times of turmoil Sheila Wager, M.Ed. [An excerpt from “Inclusive Programming for High School Students with Autism/Asperger’s in process”] All individuals go through the adolescent angst of puberty. Some have an easy time and sail through with few difficulties; others turn their entire lives and the lives of their families upside down during this time. Students in the autism spectrum will go through adolescent changes and experience the same increased hormonal levels, but they usually have a very difficult time understanding what is happening and the reasons for it. This handout will identify some of the problems that parents and teachers will be experiencing with their adolescent students with autism or Asperger’s syndrome, and will hopefully, suggestions as to how to “live through it”. Before going farther, let us examine the typical adolescent student so that we can be fully grounded in ‘normal’ development. The on-set of puberty can vary from person to person, but usually starts between the ages of 8 and 13 for girls, and 10 and 15 for boys. This time of turmoil can last until 18 or so. During this time, rapid changes occur in both boys and girls. Both experience emotionalism, tearfulness, growth spurts, “sexual awakening”, acne and “growing pains” and a new “awareness” of the opposite sex. Girls experience the on-set of menstruation or ‘periods’ (usually between 9 and 16), breast development, rounder hips and narrowing waists and areas of hair growth – (armpits and genital area). Boys’ feet usually begin growing first and may reach full size quickly, outpacing their coordination. Boys’ muscle development also begins in earnest, resulting in larger chest size, enlarged genitalia, lower voice tone, all over-body hair growth and the need to begin shaving. Boys may also start experiencing nocturnal emissions, or ‘wet dreams’ and, as with girls, may begin to explore masturbation. During this time, emotions are on a roller-coaster ride, going from lethargy and the need for extra sleep, to giddiness, tearfulness and hair-trigger anger – sometimes all in one day! Adolescence can be an exciting time for families watching their children go from being a child to an adult with all the wonders that nature can afford, or it can be hell-on-wheels for the entire family. Those experiencing adolescence have one foot in childhood and one in adulthood and never really know which is suitable for any particular time frame. This is also a time of comparing oneself to peers – in body, attitudes, clothing fashions, friends and fitting into the social hierarchy at school. “Best” friends can change on a moment to moment basis depending on what peers say or who is being awarded the “most popular” slot. It is also a time of testing independence and parental authority. Adolescents push their limits and try to establish their authority as newly formed adults. Unfortunately, parents find this the most trying aspect of puberty and adolescence and often do not want to give up any of their authority to their children. A balance between parent and child is ideal, allowing the child to experience more and more responsibility for their lives under gentle guidance so they will know how to handle adult situations. This does not always occur, sometimes resulting in arguments, anger, strict enforcement of any & all rules and a distancing between parent and child. The child often doesn’t feel that he needs a parent any longer. Contrary to their belief, this is perhaps the most important time for parent involvement. Adolescents still require parenting, as their push for independence leaves them open to experimenting with sex, drugs, new cultures and beliefs and heightened resistance to authority figures. In 2001, CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics reported (6/6/02) that the rate of teen mothers, although dropping, was 45.9 births per 1,000 females aged 15-19. Experimenting with the sexual awakening aspect of puberty has results! The need to acquire ‘power’ and higher social status can encourage an adolescent to challenge others that they perceive in authority. And what makes this so dangerous? Because in the mix of this incredible time of turmoil and uncertainty and challenge to everything they have known previously, we adults give them driver’s licenses. Two out of five deaths among teens in the United States are the result of a motor vehicle crash (CDC 1999 data) - from driving too fast, and violating traffic laws. According to the CDC, teen drivers were involved in roughly 560,000 crashes resulting in death or injury and only 33% of high schoolers used seat belts. This push for independence can be deadly and adolescents need parental controls more than they realize or want. Adolescent Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders Adolescents with ASD experience all of the same physical changes, growth, resistance to authority and need to express themselves as typical adolescents, but they also have the impairments inherent in autism – problems with socialization, communication and behavior. This is a time that many parents of children with autism start seeing aggression in their child. They may find that they are starting to question their previously-held beliefs about meds. Adolescents within the autism spectrum also have a 25% chance of developing seizures at this time. Adolescents with autism display many age-typical behaviors, but do not have the (limited) controls that typical students have. Parents and teachers may see behaviors such as masturbation, attraction to others (which may become obsessions), sexual acting-out behaviors or physical stimulation in inappropriate places, and a lack of modesty regarding their developing bodies. Adolescents with more severe autism will not understand the societal norms that we all function under and cannot understand that, if they can touch their elbow anywhere, anytime, why can’t they touch other parts of their bodies similarly? Parents of girls will now have the added worry of how to handle menstruation instruction and all that it entails. Parents of boys may find that they are embarrassed by their child’s frequent erections and masturbation and not know how to handle the situation either. Let us take each of these problems separately and address all of the issues involved. Seizures: All parents of children with autism spectrum disorders need to be aware of the statistical possibility of developing seizures beginning in puberty. Seizures can be complex-partial or absence seizures. They can be quite severe with loss of control or so slight as to be unnoticeable. Teachers and parents should consider the possibility of seizures if the child’s behaviors change quickly, he appears to be lethargic and sleepy for no apparent reason, his attention wavers in class, or he becomes argumentative or aggressive. 25% chance is substantial – therefore, always consider this as a cause when conducting functional analysis of behavior. Parents will want to discuss the issue with their pediatrician, family practitioner, or child neurologist if there is even a hint of seizure activity. Different types of EEG’s (Electro-encephalograms) can be conducted (routine, sleep-induced, 24-48 hour, etc.) to determine the presence of any unusual brain activity. Aggression: Children with autism often experience turmoil during the adolescent years. If they have been aggressive in the past, it may become more severe; if they have never been aggressive in the past, they may begin to exhibit aggression towards themselves or others; or they may sail through adolescence with no aggressive episodes at all. There is absolutely no way to predict whether a child with autism will display acts of aggression towards themselves or others during puberty. If you are witnessing aggression in an adolescent with autism, behavior modification techniques should be employed to help the student find other ways to express his anger. Questions to ask yourself and the teachers are: 1. Has anyone been hurt? 2. How long as the aggression been happening? 3. Has anyone conducted a functional analysis of behavior? What were the results? 4. Does my child have a consistent program? 5. Does my child already have a positive behavior plan, and when was it last examined for efficacy? 6. What motivators are being used with my child’s program? 7. At what times of the day is my child most likely to be aggressive? 8. Does my child have an effective communication system? 9. Does my child have the support necessary to implement a solid behavior program? 10. What is the best guess as to why my child is aggressive? 11. How has the school handled this aggression in the past? These questions can only begin to determine why the student is aggressive. These questions (and many more) should be asked in the early stages of aggressive episodes, to try and prevent future problems. This adolescent is now in puberty when all avenues must be examined and all hatches battened down in the hopes of riding it out. Parents will need help from schools in particular during adolescence because some of our teens with autism can become quite unruly and cause serious injury to themselves or others if left unchecked. If the adolescent has Asperger’s syndrome, you will have a talkative, possibly argumentative person at this age. Aggression can still occur with this highly-verbal individual, because puberty is making so many changes to the person’s body and mind – and those with AS typically have low coping skills and low frustration tolerance. This volatile mixture can lead to aggression. The questions listed above are still applicable to parents and teachers who should work together to assist the adolescent in learning new ways to express himself. Medications: Many parents and teachers feel that medications are the real solution to this business of puberty and autism. It is true that medications often play an important role in controlling behaviors in some individuals with ASD. Parents considering medications as a solution should be warned that medications are not a ‘magic bullet’ and should not be viewed as the sole answer to a behavioral problem. Often teachers and parents jump to medications as a solution when a full analysis of the problem has not been done. Inconsistencies in programming, lack of support needed in school, inadequate teaching methods and a myriad of other components can create a situation evoking aggression from the adolescent. It is not fair to medicate the adolescent when the root of the problem lies elsewhere. Medications when used should be viewed as a temporary fix (except in the case of seizures or other medical conditions) to provide time so the adults can make a full analysis of the situation. Once a positive behavior program is implemented and found to be effective, the physician may wean the medications in favor of the natural supports. Parents wishing to inquire about medications should first sit down and discuss the situation with a child/adolescent psychiatrist with training in psychopharmacology for individuals with autism. They should learn which drugs are used for children with autism, potential side effects of taking the medications, and the long-term results seen in those with an autism diagnosis. Many family physicians are uncomfortable with administering psychiatric medications to this population because of the potential for adverse effects. Individuals with autism spectrum disorders are often quite sensitive to medications and may not respond in the manner in which the physician expects. Therefore, it is very important that the medications be prescribed by a doctor with experience and training in this field. If an adolescent is on behavioral medications, it is very important that the school and home work together to provide the doctor with sufficient information to monitor the effects of the medicine over time. Too often, the prescribing physician only has information from the parent to rely upon when judging the effectiveness of medication. Teachers can provide a wealth of information by simple observational data collection over a two-week time period prior to any doctor’s appointments. An observational form to assist in the medication monitoring at school can be obtained by calling the MONARCH Program at the Emory Autism Center. Menstruation: Many parents of young girls with autism fear the day that their child’s menstruation or “period” begins because they are at a loss as to how to teach the needed skills, the embarrassment that might be caused by it in public, and because the parents must face the reality that their child is coming into sexual maturity. Fear of the mechanics of dealing with the periods has sent many mothers to school each month to assist their daughter in changing sanitary pads (instead of forcing the teachers “to deal with this”). Parent sometimes bring their daughter home and keep them there for a week each month. Parents also worry that this is “just one more thing” that will place their daughters in a vulnerable position if they are not there to assist. Those with daughters with severe autism profiles sometimes seek medical intervention, including medications that can prevent the onset of the periods. In extreme cases, surgical intervention such as hysterectomies has been performed in the past as a remedy. Parents with daughters that have milder cases of autism or Asperger’s syndrome realize that their child may cause great embarrassment to those around them if they speak aloud comments relating to their periods such as “time to change my pad”, or informing all around them that they have begun their period that day. These kinds of statements do not usually go over well in middle or high school classrooms, and parents and teachers alike worry about the social damage to the adolescent when these ‘private’ issues are discussed in public. Without doubt, menstruation is a serious area for parents to worry about. However, parents and teachers are encouraged to relax, take a deep breath and discuss what can be done about this area. First of all, menstruation is a natural part of the human female body and should be viewed as just another ‘rite of passage’, just as wisdom teeth, the need to purchase brassieres, and the need to start wearing deodorant. This is just one more ‘routine’ that will need to be taught to the person and should be viewed as such – there’s nothing fearsome about it – it just needs to be taught. The most important component of this whole issue should come way before the on-set of the periods themselves. Planning how you will teach the skills should be done well in advance of the onset of your daughter’s periods. One of the easiest ways to help prepare a young girl for the onset of her period is to initiate her into wearing panty-liners in the year before you expect them to start. By desensitizing her with wearing panty-liners, she will be ready to wear the heavier sanitary pads when needed. Experiment with several styles, types and brands so that she will be able to accept any form of panty-liner or pad later on. When first teaching her to wear the panty-liner, she should be taught to follow these steps: -the location of the panty-liners (cupboard, purse, etc.) -ALWAYS go into the bathroom, shut (and lock) the door -how to pull the paper strip off -how to secure it onto her panties -when and how to remove it -how to carefully fold it into halves or thirds -how to wrap it with toilet tissue -where to throw the used pad after wrapping -how to secure the new pad Most individuals with autism are visual learners. If this is the case with your daughter, make up a visual list of the steps that are needed and place it on the wall in the bathroom. Many non-verbal, severely autistic adolescent girls have been taught to become fully independent with their periods through the use of picture cues. Mayer- Company has pictures that may be useful in teaching the steps for menstruation, but parents may want to draw their own pictures with natural cues as a part. Use reinforcement in teaching your daughter these important steps. As with other routines, independent management of menstruation requires positive programming and heavy reinforcement for appropriate completion. Motivators can be attached to this routine like any other behavioral routine taught in the home and school. This is no different! It can be ‘scheduled in’ to a picture schedule at the same times each day to develop a comfort level surrounding the teaching. Menstruation should be viewed objectively by all involved. Emotionalism should be avoided since the person with autism may pick up on the tension projected by others, begin to reflect it in herself, and view the whole procedure negatively. Stay calm, provide clear instructions and praise her for accomplishing this ‘rite of passage’ into adulthood. Teaching the adolescent girl what she should be doing each month may take a long time. All steps should be broken down and assistance in the way of demonstration, verbal and physical cues may be necessary to help her better understand. Although it may be a lengthy process with some adolescents, it may be surprisingly quick with others. Patience and a full understanding of the individual’s profile of autism and cognitive functioning will determine the level of instruction needed for this important aspect of growing up. Ob-Gyn Exams: Along with menstruation comes the on-set of Ob-Gyn visits, which can be enough to strike terror in the minds of typical adolescent girls, much less girls with ASD. Many of our female adolescents with this disorder are terrified of doctors and are totally resistant to visiting a physician’s office – let alone taking their clothes off and having an intimate exam. However, Pap Smears are recommended if the adolescent is sexually active, or yearly from age 18 on so parents with daughters that have autism will be facing this issue sooner or later. Routine breast exams and pap smears are extremely important to physical health, and it is very important that adolescent females with autism are able to participate in these medical procedures without traumatic results. A full desensitization procedure may have to be implemented with a cooperative nurse or physician. This procedure involves the slow introduction of the patient to the doctor’s exam room and all that it entails over the course of months, and sometimes years. The steps of this procedure should be broken down into the tiniest parts and explained as they are introduced to the patient. How long this whole plan lasts will depend on the adolescent and her understanding of what is happening. If the adolescent with ASD has cognitive impairment or her social judgement is severely limited, it may be best to choose a female doctor for this entire process, to prevent her from having to judge which males may have access to her intimate parts of her body and who must not. This may be an injustice to male physicians, but it is probably best to err on the side of caution in the cases of patients with ASD. Masturbation: As part of puberty and sexual awakening, adolescent boys and girls begin to explore their bodies and discover what wonderful things can happen when they engage in certain physical actions. This is part of the normal human condition and should be viewed as a part of entering adulthood. Unfortunately, many of those with an autism spectrum disorder do not understand that these feelings and actions are to be kept strictly private, such as inside a locked bathroom or bedroom, and that they are an individual sport, not a participatory sport! Those with an autism disorder do not often experience embarrassment, leading them to perform private actions in public. As a result, our adolescents with this disorder may inappropriately touch themselves in classrooms, hallways, in public malls or restaurants, during the family meal and in front of stuffy grandparents or aunts & uncles resulting in flustered teachers, students, parents and relatives. The extent of their touching may be through the outside of the clothing or inside of it. It is not entirely their fault, though. Their bodies are under-going dramatic changes and appears, at times, to be almost daring the person to engage in masturbation. Adolescent boys begin to think that their genital area is taking on a life of its own and surprising them when they least expect it. As part of the normal process of puberty, boys who are developing along typical lines will experience erections without even thinking about anything sexually stimulating. They can occur at the most inopportune times – surprising and embarrassing the young man horribly. Typical boys learn quite quickly that they need to duck into the nearest bathroom until they can get themselves under control, pull their shirt out from their pants to then hang over their waist (and below), or to turn away from people quickly and start thinking about anything or everything that they feel is gross or unpleasant in the hopes that it will have an effect on their “privates”. As amusing as this seems to adults, typical adolescents can sometimes feel as if they are ‘doomed’ when unexpected sexual reactions occur in embarrassing places. Peer relations can be destroyed as a result and a person can go from being a popular person to a ‘perv’ and outcast in a matter of moments. This is an area that is fraught with problems. Adolescents with an autism disorder are also going through the same physical changes and urges, including the frequent and unexpected erections of typical males. The problem is, they may not be affected by the ‘embarrassment’ factor and, instead of ducking into a bathroom or quickly adjusting their clothing to hide the fact, they may instead try to relieve the physical feelings wherever they happen to be through touch or stimulation. The touch, since it is highly reinforcing, can result in a brief touch only, or proceed to full masturbation. If this problem is present in your classroom or home, then it is best to take the ‘bull by the horns’ and address this issue. If it has happened once in public, then it will happen again. Ignoring it is not a solution. If the receptive language of the adolescent is such that they will understand explanations about what is happening to their bodies, then the adolescent should be provided with information and concrete directions as to what to do and where to do it. Many adolescents with autism or Asperger’s will need concrete rules about what they can touch in public and what they cannot. You may have to accompany your concrete rules with a behavior plan which reinforces them for “appropriate” touching during set intervals of the day. Allow them to ask to go to the bathroom when needed and teach them how to do so appropriately in the middle of the classroom or day. Oftentimes, young men learn that this is an interesting and pleasurable way to pass the time of day and may ask to “use the bathroom” numerous times a day. If that is true, then you may have to set a finite number of times that they are allowed to go into the bathroom. In all cases, adolescents with an autism disorder should be taught the difference between “public” and “private”. Since this is an abstract concept, it may be difficult for them to understand what you mean by public and private so you will have to use various means to help them understand, including using pictures of each setting, writing out lists of what falls in each category, defining people in each setting, and writing social stories to help them better understand. Parents and teachers should put their heads together to write up an instructional plan for teaching public and private definitions and how best to get the adolescent to understand each environment. Along with the definitions of public and private, parents and teachers should also decide on how to handle the situation when masturbation, erections, indiscreet talking about the subject in public, etc. occurs. It is important NOT to place blame on the adolescent or cause them to be fearful of normal body reactions, but to assist them to better control it. How should you handle it when they place their hands deep into their pockets during math? What will you say to redirect the student without causing attention to be drawn to them, or causing them to become upset and flustered? Let’s take one example: A student with Asperger’s syndrome is attending general education science class. At one point in the lesson, the teacher notices that his hand is in his pocket. The teacher is certain that he is engaging in self-stimulation. The teacher calls on the student next to this person to answer a question (in the hopes that it will distract the student from this activity). If this doesn’t work, then she can call on this particular student to bring his book to the front of the room to show his work, call on him to answer a question or any other action which will divert his attention back to the lesson without causing any embarrassment or problem. After the class is over, she may retain the student and tell him that she wishes to talk to him after school, where she (and another teacher) will discuss the incident in private and work out “secret signals” that can be given to him if it occurs again. A behavior plan can be attached, if necessary. This may be enough to eliminate the behavior from happening again. If it doesn’t, it will set the stage for a team meeting with the parents to decide on how to proceed. Although masturbation is a normal occurrence of adolescence, it can, undoubtedly, cause problems, embarrassment and frustration for all involved, including the adolescent. Students have been eliminated from mainstreaming and inclusion programming because of it, and opportunities for both adolescents and families have been lost because the adolescent has not been taught how to manage the situation. Avoiding the issue will not solve the problem either. Please, do not hesitate to discuss any occurrence of public masturbation with parents or the IEP team. The level of embarrassment will only get worse as the adolescent ages. Attraction to the Opposite Sex: Again, like typical adolescents, our adolescents with autistic disorders can also become enamoured of the opposite sex at this time of life and want some level of contact with them. Although they face impairment in social understanding and judgement, their hormones do not! One mother stated that all of a sudden, her son went from the Tank Engine to talking non-stop about a current teen idol! If the level of contact with the person they are attracted to stays within the ‘talking’ stage, there may be no problem. But if it goes beyond that, such as the student with ASD following her everywhere, writing notes to her, telling everyone that “she is my girlfriend”, then there is a problem. When a student with ASD becomes overly emotionally attached to a peer, it may be uncomfortable for the peer. We have had many typical students who understand the situation and have taken guidance from teachers on how to handle or deflect the young men (or girls). Unfortunately, sometimes the typical peer does not so understand and may lodge complaints with the administration because she (or he) feels that the student with ASD is a ‘stalker’ and they want it stopped immediately. The situation may escalate to verbal discussions, verbal warnings, in-school suspension, class changes to avoid the person, more restrictive placements, or even out-of-school suspension if the problem is not resolved. In the most severe cases, some of our students with ASD have been formally charged with stalking. This has also happened with some adults with Asperger’s syndrome as well, because no one ever defined who (or what) a ‘girlfriend’ is, who is not a ‘girlfriend’, how to tell the difference, and what behaviors are acceptable if you find you are attracted to someone of the opposite sex. How do we solve this situation? Again, it is best to start defining relationships to students with autistic disorders BEFORE they reach adolescence. If they do not understand by this age, parents and teachers should quickly develop an instructional plan to avoid future problems. The plan will have to be geared to the cognitive levels of the student so that they fully understand. Jeannette McAfee’s Privacy Circles is an excellent strategy that places family members, relatives, friends, classmates, etc., all on a concrete drawing of concentric circles (with the adolescent in the middle) allowing the student to see what behaviors are allowed in front of the people on each level. The parents can define the categories in any useful way and make it clear to their child what behaviors are allowed in each environment. If re-directions and intensive behavioral programming are not preventing the problem, or if the systems in place take too long to become effective, it may be necessary to impose complete control over the student’s access to the particular student to prevent problems from re-occurring. This is always a worst-case scenario and should be avoided by teaching the student with autism appropriate interactions with those he or she is attracted to. Zits, skin care and grooming: Students with ASD also suffer from acne during adolescence, but parents may find that their child is resistant to instruction on how to care for their skin for various reasons. This may involve the smell or texture of the medicine used to treat it. In hindsight, it is always easier to teach the child good grooming skills prior to the crucial period of adolescence, but it can also help to desensitize them to applying lotions, creams or anti-acne medications or increase their own level of skin care pre- and post-adolescence. It may be easier to have the adolescent visit the physician or dermatologist to introduce them to the options for skin care and good grooming skills and to have the “instructions” taken from the doctor, rather than from the parent, if there is resistance to parental controls. Parents may also find themselves setting strict “bedtime rules of the house” to insist that the adolescent take a shower regularly. Regular bathing is necessary in adolescence when the rise in hormone levels causes increased sweating and body odor. Behavior plans and visual schedules are sometimes written to encourage the adolescent to comply with the rules, and are then rewarded with strongly preferred motivators, such as money for renting a movie or video game once a week, movie outing, or a trip to a favorite restaurant. Motivators can certainly assist the parent to improve their adolescent’s daily hygiene. Adolescent girls with ASD may become better with their grooming skills when it includes special moisturizers, make-up, certain perfumes, even manicures and pedicures. A promise of a facial or a trip to the hairdresser at the end of the week may be enough to encourage good grooming skills. Vulnerability: Students with ASD who are arriving at puberty have new feelings and awakenings, and are vulnerable to those that have evil intentions. Because of the impairment in social judgement, adolescents with ASD cannot detect those who will take advantage of them. Sometimes the behaviors that the impaired adolescent exhibits are a result of natural sexual feelings and actions but which may result in inadvertent overtures to others, setting the stage for being lured into situations which will likely harm them. Sexual abuse of individuals with disabilities is all too common. Parents who fear this may remove adolescents with ASD from inclusion or mainstreaming programs. This is unfortunate because it eliminates the proximity but does not teach the adolescent how to handle the situation. Those adolescents with this disability who appear to be acting towards others in an inappropriately suggestive or sexual manner need supervision and instruction to better prepare them for a safe adulthood. Predators are in every level of society; prevention through supervision and instruction is the best hope of protection for our individuals with ASD or other disabilities. Depression: Adolescents with ASD are not immune to depression by any means. In fact, 70% of adolescents with Asperger’s syndrome are on antidepressant medications. Often this is because the adolescent understands that they are ‘different’ from the other students and they do not know what to do about it. They want and need friends, but their impairment in the social domain limits their understanding of what social behaviors are necessary to gain them. Adolescents with ASD try hard to ‘fit in’ but make social blunders due to their limited social insight, turning off the other students. This causes frustration, anger, tearfulness, increased isolation and yes, depression. The depression can become so severe that they begin to talk about harming themselves. As they are also ‘concrete’ thinkers, this can create panic among parents and teachers, and rightly so. It is not wise to dismiss comments about suicide or talk about harming themselves. Parents should be immediately notified. They may want to discuss the situation with their physician. In the cases of suicidal ideation, over-reaction is better than under-reaction. If you as a teacher notice that one of your adolescent students is depressed, the parents should be notified immediately and plans should be made to alleviate the situation. Try to figure out what is driving the depression. Does this student have any friends? What can be done about this? What about peer programs? Does he or she have any interest areas which you may be able to capitalize upon to build friendships? What about a peer or teacher mentor? Solving this situation is paramount to the mental health of the adolescent with ASD. The situation can be turned around when parents and teachers work together to solve the depression. Adolescents with ASD are truly a wonderful lot! Yes, it can be a time of turmoil and angst, but often the emotional roller coaster settles down once the person has emerged on the other side of adolescence. His behaviors can settle down and he can once again be a calm, rational being. But don’t miss this period of growth – you will learn more about your child, autism and Asperger’s syndrome by going through it, than by missing it! Only a few of the issues that you will face are outlined here in this handout. There are a myriad of other behaviors and physical events that may occur in your child’s or student’s life. It is hoped that you will continue your search for information in order to better inform yourself of all that will be brought forth by adolescence and puberty. Author’s Note: The male gender has been used for the most part, in this handout when discussing numbers of adolescents with ASD. This is not meant to slight the females in our midst, but is representing the statistical majority of ASD, and for ease of writing. References: CDC – National Center for Health Statistics for 2001, Vol. 50, No. 10, 1-20. McAfee, Jeannie, (2001). Navigating the Social World: A Curriculum for Individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome, High Functioning Autism and Related Disorders. Future Horizons, Arlington, TX. __________________________________________________ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 29, 2006 Report Share Posted January 29, 2006 > > Thanks , > Following is a long paper on puberty and ASD given in > a presentation in Florida recently. Thank you SO much for sending this article!! This is the best one i've ever read on this type of information!! I'm gonna make copies for my daughters school to bring with me for her IEP meeting on Tuesday!! (so, perfect timing!!) thanks again! ~nancy single mom to: joshua 17 (nt) jenna 9 (autism, ocd) rachelle 4 (nt) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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