Gifted Children with Asperger’’s Syndrome.
Gifted children, on occasion, can present with unique characteristics that can be put down to their giftedness. However, some gifted children are twice exceptional. Their unique behaviours and characteristics may be the presentation of another condition, such as a learning disability or Asperger's Syndrome (part of a range of conditions included in Autism Spectrum Disorder).
Asperger's Syndrome is part of the disorders encompassed under Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and is now diagnosed as Autism Spectrum Disorder- Level 1, requiring (low level) support. The unique identifiers for a diagnosis include deficits in social communication, and a repetitive pattern of behaviour or interests. Individuals with symptoms of Asperger's Syndrome do not have language delays and enjoy being with others, although they may need support working out social nuances.
Asperger's Syndrome (ASD - Level 1) is often hard to diagnose in gifted children. Their unique behaviours may be wrongly attributed to giftedness or a learning difficulty—ignoring the symptoms of ASD. This can result in a lack of understanding and support—particularly at school. A clear diagnosis of ASD in a gifted child assists parents and educators to support, teach, train, and guide them. What then, are the criteria for this specific diagnosis?
Characteristics of gifted children
Gifted children may present with some characteristics common to Asperger's Syndrome (ASD). This can mask the identification of this disorder. The following are unique characteristics common in gifted children.
Verbal fluency or precocity (smartness or skill that's achieved much earlier than usual).
An excellent memory.
A fascination with numbers and letters.
Enjoyment in memorising factual information at an early age.
An absorbing interest in a specialised topic which enables them to achieve at extraordinary levels of performance in a certain areas. In other areas they perform in the average range.
Unknowingly annoying peers with their limitless talk about their interests.
Asking endless questions, or giving lengthy and elaborate responses to questions, seemingly unable to stop.
An uneven development in cognitive ability compared to social and emotional awareness.
Giftedness with ASD
When Asperger's Syndrome (ASD) is present in gifted children, there are additional characteristics that cannot be explained by giftedness alone. If a child who is gifted presents with some of the following characteristics, it is important to consider a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder with giftedness.
Pedantic and seamless speech patterns with a lack of pragmatics.
Low tolerance to disruptions, routines and change, resulting in over reactions of agitation and even aggression.
Disturbance of attention which is usually internal rather than external.
Quality of humour. They can do word play, but typically do not understand humour that requires reciprocity.
Motor clumsiness and possible difficulty with handwriting.
Inappropriate emotional affect.
Limited insight and perspective taking. Not aware how others may perceive any inappropriate behaviour or emotional reactions.
Stereotypy—repetition of an act for no particular purpose.
Hypersensitivity to sensory information such as food textures, fabric/ material, noise or touch.
Eye contact may appear to gaze off or stare straight through those with whom they are conversing.
Diagnosing ASD in gifted children
Diagnostic evaluations to help better determine if a gifted child has ASD is important as it assists in securing appropriate services. Parents and teachers may agree the child is experiencing difficulties but may incorrectly identify these students only as gifted, or gifted with learning disabilities. This can lead to inappropriate educational planning and support.
To identify ASD in gifted children a thorough developmental history and investigation into the motivation behind certain behaviours is needed. Included in the diagnostic evaluation are; formal testing of motor skills by an occupational therapist, psychological assessment of social communication skills, as well as a cognitive assessment to accurately determine giftedness. Following this, a paediatric assessment is important to confirm a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder with giftedness.
Supporting gifted children with ASD
Gifted children with ASD lack the specific brain architecture to navigate transitions, unexpected events or changes, social nuances, and friendships. They need to be well supported and understood both at home and in the school setting.
Visual Learners
Children with ASD (the old Asperger's Syndrome sub-type) are strong visual thinkers. They think best in concrete, literal pictures. Visual aids such as timetables, diagrams, and pictograms for teaching and managing behaviour is commonly recommended. Visual timetables are particularly important to help these children to know what to expect, prepare for transitions, and create greater independence.
Verbal Instruction
Give parts-to-whole verbal instruction as Asperger's children tend to over focus on details. Take care to teach strategies in the exact sequence students need to use them. Unlike ordinary gifted children, rote styles of learning are recommended. And because their own habits and thoughts are generally rigid, this style of learning quite suits them.
Sensitivity
Gifted children with Asperger's Syndrome can be extremely sensitive to the tone with which something is said. It is wise to keep directives and corrections short and to the point, avoiding lengthy explanations that may increase the chance the child will distort the message. Teachers and parents must aim to be cool, calm and collected—giving instructions in an objective manner.
Sensory integration
Children with Asperger's Syndrome can be extremely sensitive to sensory stimuli. Sensory integration intervention through occupational therapy is important to help integrate sensory systems for hypersensitivity whether it be to touch, taste, hear or move. Sensory integration also helps individuals organise, concentrate, attend, and prepare for change. It helps with increasing adaptability and flexibility, and supports the child in the school environment where a lot is going on.
Occupational therapy
Occupational therapy is important for sensory integration as well as for support with motor skills such as handwriting and eye hand coordination. Gifted children with Asperger's Syndrome may have difficulty with extensive written out-put due to fine motor skills. When this motor skill is not assessed properly and is misunderstood, it may unfortunately be mistaken as work avoidance or laziness.
Social Skills Training
Social skills training through concrete visual approaches is most effective. Carol Gray's Social Stories and comic strip conversations are widely used to help develop social understanding. Social skills story technique involves writing a very short story that describes a specific social situation with which the child struggles. The story includes four types of sentences: descriptive (where, who, and what), perspective (describe feelings and behaviour of others in the situation), directive (are statements about what the child is expected to do or say), and control (a statement about strategies the child can use to remember or understand the expected behaviour in the social situation). The ratio is one directive and control sentence to every two to five descriptive or perspective sentences.
Emotions
Children with Asperger's Syndrome can have strong emotional reactions and limited perspective taking. Psychologists can assist these children to learn about theirs and others emotions and what to do when they are feeling emotionally overwhelmed. Psychologists can also provide information to parents and teachers about validating and clarifying typical emotional reactions for these children, to assist in reducing anxiety and promote self-understanding.
Behaviour
Children with Asperger's Syndrome may be compulsive, hyperactive, prone to tantrums or aggressive outbursts. They may be more sensitive to teasing but also have behaviours that provoke teasing. Parents may feel like they are engaged in repeated discussions about the same disagreements.
The most effective way to disengage in difficult behaviours is to avoid reasoning with them for longer than one minute. Remember, brief, concrete directives are most effective. Visual reminders of expected behaviours can be further supportive in the class room setting.
Mentors
As the child who is gifted with Asperger Syndrome gets older, introduce them to mature, sensible mentors, and provide activities which foster intellectual thought, creativity and problem solving, including joining appropriate gifted organisations.
Conclusion
There can be a tendency to misattribute some gifted characteristics to giftedness alone or to a learning difficulty. Assessing these characteristics through the criteria for ASD (Level 1) can result in a relevant diagnosis, which can provide greater understanding of the child, and enable appropriate supports and interventions to be put in place. Importantly, the end goal of diagnosis is to help the gifted child with ASD to reach their potential.
References
https://www.davidsongifted.org/search-database/entry/a10900
https://carolgraysocialstories.com/social-stories/what-is-it/