What is Aspergers Syndrome how does your center address this issue?
Asperger's Syndrome is a developmental disability that does not typically get diagnosed until a later age and tends to affect boys more often than girls. According to research, "the mean age for a diagnosis is eight years of age, but the age range varies from very young children to adults" (Eisenmajer et al. 1996 in Asperger's Syndrome by Tony Attwood p. 22). This is also a neurological disability that results in a lack of social skills, difficulty having reciprocal conversations, intense interest in a preferred subject, pedantic-like speech, little empathy, clumsiness, difficulty making friends and inability to make sense of nonverbal communication.

Unfortunately, children diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome often fall through the cracks because they tend to have many strengths that help them achieve academically. This helps them navigate the first few years of school but then, as social interactions, relationships and language skills become more sophisticated and abstract, children with Asperger's Syndrome start to fall behind their peers in these areas. This lag often triggers a flurry of theories generated by school personnel, friends and family that tends to compel caretakers to seek assistance from professionals. The questions often asked are: 'Why doesn't my child or this child fit in? Why can't he make friends? How come he can know so many facts in a number of subjects but can't grasp phrases like 'in one ear and out the other?'

Like Autism, Asperger's Syndrome also interferes with the quality of life for everyone involved. It invariably results in social anxiety and very often depression over repeated failures at trying to connect with peers.

How does our center address this issue?
We offer a variety of programs to help children diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome and their families restore their quality of life. We offer similar programs to this population as we do with children diagnosed with Autism. Those services include assessments, intervention and consultation via individual and group programs from a wide variety of disciplines. On a more traditional route of intervention we offer individual speech-language, occupational, physical and behavioral therapies. We offer group programs that provide movement opportunities and chances to make some new friends.

On a more alternative route, we offer complimentary therapies including; acupuncture, massage, nutritional counseling, and neurological interventions that address re-patterning, sensory processing issues and family systems counseling for helping to support that families who are affected by this condition. In keeping with nurturing the quality of life for children and families, we offer parent education/information and training opportunities as well.

Our independent contractors have experience and training with using the following approaches/programs with children with Autism:

What is Relationship Development Intervention (RDI)?
It is an approach to working with spectrum disorders that treats the whole child and their family. This would be best answered by visiting the website at: www.rdiconnect.com, we also encourage parents to find out more information at: www.autismboulder.org to receive optimal support and community links for this condition.

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