Discussing Asperger's with a class of 5th graders (Ages 10 & 11)

[HarperRose]

Hey you guys. I've been asked to speak to my son's 5th grade class about Asperger's. What kind of things should I bring up? It's such a deep part of our life, I can't even think of what to say! Kwim? 

I printed off some stuff that Max deals with, which will be good for the kids, and I plan to start by emphasizing that his brain works differently, everyone is different but it's not wrong, etc., then ask the class if there is anything they feel makes THEM different from the rest of the class. I'm thinking birthmarks.

Does that sound good? Should I  be thinking of anything else? Am I missing anything?

Thanks for the feedback!

~ Harper :)

[KimPM]

I wonder if you started out by suggesting a scenario: what if you woke up one morning and everything seemed different that day.  Your food suddenly felt spongy in your mouth.  The lights seemed too bright today.  The sound of the blender just made your skin crawl.  Seems strange...I don't usually have trouble with these things.  You wanted to talk to your friends, but you just didn't know what to say or what to do.  ...  (Then add more stuff as you think of it.)  The idea, of course, is to give them a little taste of what it might be like to experience having Aspergers.

[HarperRose]

Oooh, Kim, that's good. I like it. I'll talk to Max and see if he can give me some feedback on things for him.

[joensally]

What about working with the teacher on a science unit on the brain? 

You're a great mom :).

[JollyGG]

I came across this book while looking for something different - http://www.amazon.com/Arnie-His-School-Tools-Solutions/dp/1934575151/ref=pd_sim_hpc_4

Would something like this book help get the discussion going? There seemed to be several like it. The publisher is Autism Asperger Publishing Company. One of them may resonate as fitting your child or as a good way to talk with his class.

[crunchymomof2]

Dont have anything to offer, but sending you some moral support vibes.

[KimPM]

Oh, just thought of a couple more things to add. 

You might address the need for sameness, order, routine.  You could explain it something like - what if everything you were looking for was not where you left it?  You might be a little confused at first, then you might get upset because you couldn't find anything, or it just took too long to find things.  You would be upset that the order in your life was all turned upside down.

You might also address the physical uncoordination that sometimes goes along with Aspergers.  Something like - what if your arms & legs & feet didn't work like they used to.  You might not be able to ride your bike, (or whatever - add your own stuff here).  You'd be frustrated that you couldn't do activities like you used to do... activities that it seems everyone else can do.

Or - What if you had trouble getting to sleep - every night - and had trouble staying asleep all night.  You'd be really tired every day, and even less able to deal with [all that stuff you mentioned before].

ETA: And my personal favorites: what if it felt like your shoes were on the wrong feet, even when you put them on the right feet.  What if your clothes felt itchy all day.  You'd probably be distracted by those problems all day, and not be able concentrate on much else.  You'd probably also not want to wear those shoes and clothes again either.

[HarperRose]

Such great ideas to think about, Kim! Thank you!

[KimPM]

You might also mention something about the ins and outs of friendship with a child with Aspergers.  I'm thinking of giving them some of the positives, such as a child with Aspergers may have a strong interest in a particular game, such as chess (or whatever it is).  While the child with Aspergers may not be interested in group games, such as playing in a pickup game of baseball, he may be interested in playing a game of chess with you, or maybe playing a board game, or putting together legos with you.  You could also mention that a girl with Aspergers might be the quiet one in the corner who might be interested in playing a game with you.  This way it might help the other children to not think aspies are so weird, just different, but still needing friendship.

[HarperRose]

The discussion went GREAT. Those kids were so receptive and wanted to know a lot. One kid asked if only boys get it and when I told him no, I know a little girl with it, too, they wanted to know about her, too! (Since it was about Max, primarily, and she is not my child, i only told them her first name and her age because they asked.) Such sweethearts, all of them. 

I cried in the beginning and the teacher & I explained that sometimes you cry when something is important to you or involves someone you love. They were good sports. :) I felt like a dweeb. lol I used some different fabrics to explain to them about sensory issues and that went well. 

We got to talk about friendship and why Max latches on to one kid. They seemed very receptive to Max being the way he is and understanding that his brain works differently. It was really cool. :)

[KimPM]

That's great!  Sounds like it might really help foster understanding and acceptance