Final Course Reflection

Society and Socialability

Reviewing class notes from the Introduction to Counseling Interventions Course given by Dr. Lawrence Welkowitz for the Autism Spectrum Disorders Certificate Program at Antioch University, I realize how far I have grown in my personal and professional understanding of Asperger’s Syndrome. So much new information has been added and previous knowledge has been reinforced and clarified. This barrage of information supports the theory that, despite their high intelligence, without adequate social skills, individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome may not become successful adults. Their ability to blossom into well-rounded adults can be directly linked to their ability to develop strong and diversified social support networks that can continuously provide personal reinforcement as they journey through life. We live in a social world. Whether playing at the park to commiserating on blog sites, communication makes the world go round. Good social skills are predictors of success. As an Instructional Assistant and tutor working with Asperger’s students at the high school level, I believe that I am in a position to assist students in learning how to develop and maintain strong social networks which will carry over into their college and employment careers.

During Class I, Dr. Welkowitz commented that Instructional Assistants could be a liability to Asperger’s students, actually impeding their social status in integrated settings. Andy Sylvia stated that it was his misfortune to be assigned an aid “who followed me around” when he returned to school after a breakdown. This view of classroom aides must be rectified in order to maximize our benefits to our students.

Being in the classroom with AS students, I try to be extremely sensitive to how my presence can contribute to the AS student’s sense of discomfort. Students, already feeling paranoid, fear that I am watching and reporting their deficiencies. They do not want their fellow classmates to think that they need assistance. Being ‘little professors’ themselves, they often resent the offer of help by someone who they consider intellectually inferior. However, it is well documented that without this support these students flounder. Nonetheless, Instructional Assistants must never lose sight of their goal which is to help these students achieve independence. In order to reach this goal, AS students must establish a social support network. Our job is to give them the tools they need to accomplish this.

In our school, Instructional Assistants keep a very low profile in the classroom, are inconspicuously attached to a specific student, and make it a point to offer assistance to all classroom students. We approach students only when they ask for help or when they are obviously struggling. Once the neurotypical population begins asking for assistance, the AS student is usually less reluctant to accept help. We also support subject teachers in classrooms as well as assisting resource teachers. We usually work with a wide range of students in a variety of settings. This puts us in an ideal situation to observe, mediate, assist and instruct throughout the day. In his book, Asperger’s Syndrome: A Guide for Parents and Professionals, Tony Attwood states, “…the aid applies a programme designed by the teacher and relevant therapists and specialists that addresses behavior, social, linguistic, motor and sensory abilities” (Attwood, 171). Others may create the strategy but it is the aid who is entrusted with enacting it. Being there, on the front lines and in the moment, puts us in a unique position to provide assistance and cues at the exact moment that they are needed. When necessary, an Instructional Assistant can help the student use tools, scripts, and other coping strategies that they have learned in their social group activities, thereby providing an opportunity to generalize this information.

As Dr. Welkowitz stated, when discussing Blink, judgments about social compatibility are made in the blink of an eye. Inability to make eye contact, poor listening skills, and ineptness at social reciprocity sets AS kids up for instantaneous social failure. In a snow ball effect, poor social skills lead to a lack of social reinforcement, and inability to create strong social networks which consequently leads to bullying which in turn results in loss of self-esteem. Instructional Assistants observe first hand the isolation that these students face daily. Being on the front lines, as an adult, in a teen age environment puts us in the unique position of being able to facilitate social encounters as they occur.


I have long wondered what I, in my position, could do to assist these students to break out of their isolation. When asked what his aide could have done to be more beneficial, Andy Sylvia simply said, “She could have stayed out of my way.” It was obvious how painful his experience was. Once again I wondered what aids can do to improve this situation for other students. This course has provided some answers.

First, self-esteem issues must be addressed. As we learned, assisting these students to establish goals and determine ways to achieve them is one way to increase their self-esteem. Since we attend classes, we are in an excellent position to assist with setting short-term goals and to support the student in achieving them. Whether the goal is to complete a particular homework assignment, work in a small group, or deliver a presentation, aids are in an opportune position to facilitate success. We can also help AS students to manage explosive behavior. As freshmen, Asperger’s students can be quite overwhelmed by the noisy, busy and raucous high school environment. This over stimulation can often lead to frequent emotional outbursts. Cuing AS students as the need arises to manage those behaviors and providing tools and alternative behaviors better enables them to attend classes with minimal disruption. Instructional Assistants can also help Asperger’s students capitalize on their special interests. AS students at our school are encouraged to start clubs that reinforce their special interests, and they do. Our Asperger’s students are responsible for initiating clubs such as an Ana Mae club, a Magic club, Dungeons and Dragons, multiple clubs involving computer games, and cartooning. These clubs have all been started by students on the spectrum. For them, it is the beginning on insider status. I have seen students blossom as they begin to share afternoons with other students who enjoy similar interests.

Working with co-morbidity in our students and exploring ways that the school can address these issues will greatly improve the lives of AS students. As an Instructional Assistant, I have personally observed many of these features but was unsure how to address them. Dr. Welkowitz gave a wonderful presentation on how to address students various obsessions and delusions. He suggested that we address them directly; that we persist in questioning the student until he can accept that his believe may be faulty. I have actually tried this technique with a student who was infuriated by his father. I persisted in challenging his beliefs until he finally admitted that perhaps his father didn’t mean to ruin his life. Having observed Dr. Welkowitz demonstrate this technique made it feasible for me to use it when needed.

Lastly, Instructional Assistants should consider themselves role models for teachers as well as students in demonstrating how acceptance of neurodiversity is beneficial to the entire school community. We must work to educate our school population about Asperger’s Syndrome and to accept these students for the unique individuals that they are. Integrated classrooms provide staff and students with an opportunity to embrace multiculturalism. We must “…raise the awareness of those around the individual with Asperger’s Syndrome so that the community becomes more understanding and appreciative of these people” (Baker & Welkowitz, 179).

As my Asperger’s students entered senior year and began the college application process, I became quite concerned about how they would handle life on a college campus. I am concerned that colleges are not yet prepared to provide the support that AS students will need.. Keene State provides an excellent model that other colleges should follow. Their peer mentoring program provides necessary student support for Asperger’s students. Andy Sylvia was on the giving as well as receiving end of this support system and was able to graduate with a degree in journalism.

Although he had all the support necessary as he traveled through the educational system, Andy is struggling to create the lasting support networks that are necessary to continue his success. Although he graduated from college, is a licensed realtor, heads the Democratic Party in Merrimack (all success indicators), he states that he feels like a failure. Still living at home with his parents, he has held 35 to 40 jobs in the two years since his graduation. In cases like this a program called Prospect, The National Autistic Society’s Supported Employment Service, can offer an employment support network. In a study of the employment success of those with Asperger’s Syndrome, Sophie Nesbit cites a paper presented by Good Et al in 1994, which reports that , “…despite the potential to work, few are in regular employment, Even among those with formal qualifications, employment levels are disappointing and occupational status is low” (Nesbit, 359).

But Andy is optimistic about his future. He enjoyed college because he felt it was an opportunity to assume a new identity in which he was not labeled. He felt he could do as he wanted as long as he got done what he had to do. Yet he has not maintained ties with any friends from childhood or college. . He refers to his friends now as mainly acquaintances he’s met through his political affiliations. Andy defines a friend through a plant analogy: “someone who’s there when you need them, without a lot of watering.”

Currently Andy is quite involved in politics and has just lost a close election in Merrimack. Andy shows insight of his quest to improve when he states “Politics is the art of getting what you want.” Perhaps it is the assistance he reluctantly received in high school and his enjoyable peer mentoring experience in college that has given him this self-understanding and the perseverance to continue the struggle to achieve his goals. He continues to put himself out there, looking for people with similar interests, exploring his options with a goal and a plan. I’d like to think that I can have that kind of an affect on my students.

Andy had some advice that clarifies Asperger’s in simple terms. He said, “ASD is like being color blind. We can see everything a neurotypical can see. We just can’t get all the nuances.” For our students he recommends that we let them know that there’s a bigger world out there and they have to make some sacrifices to get into it.






RESOURCES

Attwood,T. (1998) Asperger’s Syndrome: A Guide for Parents and Professionals.
Philadelphia: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, LTD.

Baker, L. & Welkowitz, L.A., eds. (2005) Asperger’s Syndrome: Intervening in Clinics,
Schools, and Communities. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.

Nesbitt, Sophie. (2000)Why and why not? Factors influencing employment for
individuals with Asperger syndrome. London: SAGE Social Science Collections.

Sylvia, A. (2006) Presentation at Antioch New England, Keene, NH.