It cannot be emphasised how significant an early, accurate diagnosis is to the psychological development of the child. Although it may not be within a teachers' spectrum of expertise to conduct diagnostic tests, it should be within a teacher's expertise to recognise the needs for such tests. .
(NOTE: Upon my request for information regarding Asperger's Syndrome my school provided me with 3 photocopied articles which are not appropriately sourced. Nevertheless, I found them to be very relevant, succinct and in line with other theory that I had read, in particular my text. Since I rely on these articles for this essay please find them attached).
There are five broad categories of dysfunction that, Asperger's Syndrome students fall into.
Social behaviour:.
Solitary and isolates himself or hangs around much younger children.
Does not join in team activities.
Indifferent to peer pressure .
Appears rude but is unaware of social conventions.
Unaware of how his behaviour affects others.
Cognitive development: .
Normal or above average IQ.
Discrepancy between verbal and performance IQ.
Motivation and achievements in a specific area of interests, poor concentration in other areas.
Problems in sequencing tasks, often disorganised and confused.
Lack of imaginative/symbolic play.
Communication skills:.
Flat or unusual tone of voice.
In general unaware of social conventions of communication.
May talk too much or too little.
Motor clumsiness.
Poor coordination may be observed by inability to play ball games .
Problem with writing, among other observable areas.
Hyper-sensitivity/hyposensitivity. .
May react in a form of panic reaction to specific stimuli or may show no reaction whatsoever. .
The above are only some of the characteristics listed for the identification of Asperger's Syndrome in school, in one of the articles provided by the school (complete form attached) It can be seen that there are a range of behaviours and more specifically, behaviours in identifiable areas which can lead a teacher to recognise a dysfunctional pupil in the classroom.
