MY VIEWS ON ASPERGER SYNDROME

 

 

This is my attempt to make the condition Asperger Syndrome better understood and it’s especially for those who don’t know much about it. For those of you who don’t, you might want to read this section enough times to take it in.

 

 

The Meaning Of Asperger Syndrome

 

Asperger Syndrome is a life long brain disorder which effects the way a person communicates and relates to people around them. They struggle to fit in with the real world, they find it hard to cope in certain situations and they find social interaction difficult and demonstrate restricted and repetitive patterns of behaviour and interests.

 

The condition is named after the Austrian paediatrician Hans Asperger who, in 1944, described children in his practice who lacked nonverbal communication skills, demonstrated limited empathy with their peers, and were physically clumsy. Fifty years later it was standardized as a diagnosis, but many questions remain about aspects of the disorder. The exact cause for it is unknown.

 

I was watching a programme called ‘Autistic Superstars’ and according to a boy on the programme named Daffyd, Autism is doing the same things as other people differently but it’s just the way you do it and it’s kind of like the difference between a Mac and a Windows PC and that they both do different jobs like a Mac is probably terrible at one job but can excel greatly at other jobs so it’s a bit like his Autism probably makes it easier for him to understand music but there he’s compensated somewhere else.

 

 

Social Interaction

 

The lack of demonstrated empathy is possibly the most dysfunctional aspects of Asperger Syndrome. Individuals with it experience difficulties in basic elements of social interaction, which may include a failure to develop friendships or to seek shared enjoyments or achievements with others (for example, showing others objects of interest), a lack of social or emotional reciprocity, and impaired non verbal behaviours such as eye contact, facial expression, posture, and gesture.

 

 

Restricted And Repetitive Interests And Behaviour

 

People with Asperger Syndrome often display behaviour, interests, and activities that are restricted and repetitive and are sometimes abnormally intense or focused. They may stick to inflexible routines, move in stereotyped and repetitive ways, or preoccupy themselves with parts of objects.

 

Pursuit of specific and narrow areas of interest is one of the most striking features of Asperger Syndrome. Individuals with the condition may collect volumes of detailed information on a relatively narrow topic such as weather data or star names, without necessarily having genuine understanding of the broader topic.

 

Stereotyped and repetitive motor behaviours are a core part of the diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome and other Autistic Spectrum Disorders. They include hand movements such as flapping or twisting, and complex whole-body movements. These are typically repeated in longer bursts and look more voluntary or ritualistic than tics, which are usually faster, less rhythmical and less often symmetrical.

 

 

Speech And Language

 

Although individuals with Asperger Syndrome acquire language skills without significant general delay and their speech typically lacks significant abnormalities, language acquisition and use is often atypical. Abnormalities include verbosity, abrupt transitions, literal interpretations and miscomprehension of nuance, use or metaphor meaningful only to the speaker, auditory perception deficits, unusually pedantic, formal or idiosyncratic speech, and oddities in loudness, pitch, intonation prosody, and rhythm.

 

 

How I Felt About The Situation

 

I was absolutely appalled to discover that there were autistic children being educated in Mainstream schools and not getting the support they need for them to reach their full potential and that there were ex-pupils who have had the exact same experience.

 

I used to say that autistic children should only be educated in Autism schools because of the high risk of them being badly bullied there or excluded from there. In June 2006 I wrote a letter to my local MP about my concerns of that and soon after, I got a reply back from schools Minister Lord Adonis and even though it’s been on the News, I think it should be on the News more often but at the end of the day it’s up to them what they put on it. In March 2008 I wrote to him again and some of it was old but most of it was new.

 

 

Derek’s letter to Bob Russell

 

Dear Bob Russell

 

I just like to say thank you very much for the letter you sent me and the letter that you sent to my Mum. I thought I’d write to you again even though I know I’ve written to you before and I know I’ve mentioned some of this to you before but this is what I want to say.

 

I really do think that every autistic child should only be educated in Autism schools when there are enough of those in the UK and that’s what I demand. And it’s because every autistic child who is being educated in a Mainstream school is at high risk of being badly bullied there or excluded where as in an Autism school there is none of that I suppose and if there weren’t any places left for them then they can be taught at home till there were places for them. I mean they can have the choice but that’s how I feel about the whole thing.

 

I am angry to discover that they’ve been forcing autistic children into Mainstream and if they haven’t stopped closing special schools yet then they need to stop it happening as soon as they possibly can and pretty quickly. And I could be wrong but some of them that have closed down should be reopened as Autism schools.

 

I am absolutely appalled to discover that there are autistic children being educated in Mainstream schools and not getting the support they need to reach their full potential and that there are ex-pupils who have had the exact same experience.

 

It’s the kind of thing that needs to be discussed more on the News, Question time, This Week and Newsnight. I don’t see it being discussed enough on television.

 

Every autistic child needs to be diagnosed at a young age before they are to start school.

 

I’ve recently seen something on the News called City College* for adults with autism and I felt quite pleased that they’ve opened up something like that but at the same time I’m feeling depressed because it’s in Norwich and it’s a shame I don’t live there because I want to go to somewhere like that. There needs to be colleges like that everywhere in the UK especially in Essex and if there was one in Essex and that I would be able to go there my life would be more social.

 

Yours Sincerely

 

Derek Rogers

 

 

* I now realise that it is a unit at City College and not the whole College.

 

 

Bob Russell’s response

 

Just two days later I received a response from him and it was an excellent response. He contacted me again when he received a response and he sent it to me but it was quite complicated for me to understand and I wouldn’t be surprised if anyone wouldn’t fully understand this.

 

Dear Bob

 

I am replying as the Minister with responsibility for this policy area.

 

I should explain that the Government is firmly committed to the principle of inclusion and an increasing proportion of children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) attend mainstream schools. Inclusion is much more than the types of schools children attend; it is about the quality of their experience and how far they are helped to learn, achieve and participate fully in the life of the school. The Government is committed to developing an education service, which ensures that all children (including those with SEN and disabilities) have the opportunity to reach their full potential. As a result, we are making available to all local authorities in England significant sums to help assist them in their statutory duties to provide for children’s SEN.

 

We have always said that where parents want a mainstream place for their child, everything possible should be done to provide that. We have also said that there should be a range of high quality provision for pupils for whom mainstream education may not be right or what their parents want for them.

 

Local Authorities (LAs) are under a duty in the Education Act of 1996 to secure sufficient schools for pupils in their area and in doing so must have particular regard to the need for special educational provision. There must be strong links between special schools and neighbouring mainstream schools. Pupils in special schools should have opportunities to mix with their peers, and friends, in mainstream schools. This type of partnership working is a key aspect of the Government’s published strategy on SEN. The Ministers have no powers to intervene in relation to school reorganisations or closures. Schools organisation is a matter for local determination, in accordance with statutory provisions and guidance. This guidance makes good the Government’s pledge to ensure that when they propose changes to arrangements for children with special educational needs – including proposals to close special schools/units – LAs show how they will lead to improve provision.

 

Your constituent may be interested to know, that when considering the reorganisation of their special educational needs (SEN) provision, statutory guidance for LAs includes Planning and Developing Special Educational Provision: A Guide for Local Authorities and other Proposers.

 

It also encourages LAs to show the specific educational benefits that will flow from the proposals in terms of:

 

·    Improved access to education and associated services including the curriculum, wider school activities, facilities and equipment, with reference to the LAs Accessibility Strategy;

·  Improved access to specialist staff, both education and other professionals, including any external support and/or outreach services;

·           Improved access to suitable accommodation;

·           Improved supply of suitable places and;

·          To develop a range of provision including mainstream schools, special schools, specially resourced provision in or attached to mainstream schools and collocated mainstream and special schools.

 

We have made clear in our national strategy for SEN, Removing Barriers to Achievement, that special schools have a vital role in educating children with the most severe and complex needs and working much more closely with mainstream schools to share expertise and extend the range of opportunities for learning for all children in all settings.

 

In practice, over the past 20 years, LAs have reconfigured their special schools to meet changing needs, developed specialist provision within or attached to mainstream schools and co-located special and mainstream schools. The Building Schools for the Future BSF capital programme offers real opportunities to develop new and better provision for children with SEN and disabilities and extend a range of choices open to parents. The programme is currently worth over £2 billion a year in the spending review period 2005-08; of that, some £300 million is estimated to be spent on provision for pupils with special needs and disabilities in the first three waves of the programme.

 

Yours ever

 

Andrew Adonis

 

So the news seems to be good enough.