Treating Individuals With Asperger's Syndrome

There is no cure, no magic pill that will take the symptoms of Asperger's Syndrome away. There is however interventions and treatments that can improve functioning and reduce the occurrence of undesirable behaviors in a person with Asperger's Syndrome. The treatment may be a combination of education, behavior modification, speech or physical or occupational therapy, and different medications to treat associated conditions such as anxiety, depression, hyperactivity, and obsessive-compulsive behavior.

Because the symptoms vary as the individual grows the treatment too will change over the years. A young child may have difficulty picking up on social cues, may not know how to recognize personal space when in group situations and therefore preschool teachers can help by establishing routines that teach how to interact with others and make a game about personal body space. The elementary school aged child may have a large vocabulary but has difficulty with tone (monotone) and the speech pattern may seem rigid. The child may fixate on a topic and talk for a long time without being aware that others are bored. The school-aged child needs to have routines that are stable. The child with AS will learn better if a subject is broken into steps instead of having the "big picture" presented at once. The teen has a difficult time dealing with relationships, with communicating with others and with social situations where body language is used to express ideas. School counseling or private counseling may help the teen to express how he or she is feeling about body changes and peer pressure. Speech therapy, physical therapy and occupational therapy can assist any age child including teens to be able to communicate better and to deal with social situations with better understanding. Teens can be helped to have a better chance at getting jobs when they are helped with interviewing skills and are taught how to behave in the work environment.

It is common for those with Asperger's Syndrome to have other associated conditions or disorders such as depression, anxiety disorders, and bipolar disorder, even attention deficit disorder. Medications for these conditions can be beneficial in helping children and adults to cope with a life in which being able to communicate means being able to belong or not, being able to participate in sports or not, being able to function well in a work environment or not, being able to form friendships, date, or get married and have a normal family life.

The treatment plan for Asperger's Disorder is individualized as symptoms can range from mild to severe. Medications may reduce anxiety, may help to reduce agitation, and idiosyncratic thinking and may help to improve someone who is depressed. Common medications are Paxil, Prozac, Zoloft, and Risperidone.

Social skills training are typically part of the treatment plan. The individual with Asperger's Syndrome needs to learn how to make eye contact, learn proper personal space perimeters, be able to function in a group, and learn how to relate to another individual and hold a conversation without monopolizing it.

Education interventions are common for school age and teens with Asperger's Syndrome. Teachers, and other staff should be educated in how to handle someone with this syndrome; this may include extra training for the teacher, or giving the child an instructional assistant.

Psychotherapy can help sort out the intense emotional feelings, and can help the individual to learn concrete, behavioral techniques, including role-playing. Group therapy or support groups may be utilized to add to the network of support for the individual. A teen needs someone such as an older teen to teach them how to dress, and use the current slang or the rules of cliques at school.