Asperger’s Syndrome: Long Term Outlook

At first glance, the long-term outlook for a child with Asperger’s syndrome (AS) seems like a life-long, uphill battle. However, researchers and other medical professionals believe that with early intervention, a child with Asperger’s syndrome can lead a happy and productive life.

Asperger’s syndrome is a Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD). It is neither a disease that can be treated medically nor is it an illness that can be cured with medication. Instead, Asperger’s syndrome is a life-long disorder that permeates and disrupts a child’s social and communication skills. In Europe, it is called an Autistic spectrum disorder, which is an apt description.

Much like a prism separates light, Asperger’s syndrome appears to diffuse a child’s ability to learn into many different facets. A child with Asperger’s syndrome may be of above average intelligence with strong verbal skills and remarkable talents in some areas, yet disconnected from the ability to communicate his abilities, desires, and needs in a socially appropriate manner.

Educational intervention can help the child with Asperger’s syndrome to learn communication and social skills that seem almost instinctive to others. However, because diagnosis of Asperger’s syndrome is fairly new, many educators and even some medical professionals are unfamiliar with the disorder. Furthermore, Asperger’s syndrome does not affect each child in the same way. In fact, it is typically the case that each individual in a group of children with Asperger’s syndrome is more different than they are alike.

Although there is no treatment for the disorder as a whole and the symptoms of Asperger’s syndrome are diverse, supportive counseling, psychotherapy, and medications can be used to treat the symptoms of the disorder helping the child to focus on learning the communication and social skills he lacks. For these reasons, it is crucial that parents obtain a professional evaluation and diagnosis and that they are diligent and assertive in finding and obtaining the individualized services their child needs.

Using a comprehensive medical evaluation and diagnosis, parents can obtain the appropriate services to establish an individualized education program (IEP) brightening the long term outlook for the child with Asperger’s syndrome, providing him with the means to bring his world back into focus and shine with his own strong, steady light.

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