COUNSELING ADULTS WITH ASPERGER‟S - School of Health ...

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Counseling Asperger‟s 12 and repetitive interests, his clients had abnormal reactions to sensory input (Dunn, Myles, & Orr, 2002). Individuals with Asperger‟s have a sensory profile that is different from that of neuro- typical individuals. Specifically, they may differ when interpreting information from the seven different sensory systems: tactile (touch), vestibular (balance), proprioception (body awareness), visual (sight), auditory (hearing), gustatory (taste), and olfactory (smell) (Dunn, Saiter, & Rinner, 2002). Asperger‟s: The following table concisely describes the potential sensory profiles of individuals with Neurological thresholds (The amount of stimuli we need to notice or react) Behavioral response/self- regulation strategy Functional characteristics of this pattern of sensory processing Potentially interfering characteristics of this pattern of sensory processing Low Registration Sensation Seeking Sensory Sensitivity Sensation Avoiding High Passive High ability to focus on something Unaffected by varying emotions Appears to be uninterested or withdrawn May have a dull affect or seem selfabsorbed May seem “overly tired” or apathetic High Active High ability to generate ideas and responses Notices and enjoys all the activity in the environment Always active, continuously engaging Fidgety and excitable Low Passive High ability to notice what is going on in the environment Particular about task completion parameters Distractible in busy, complex settings May seem like a “complainer” Low Active High ability to design & implement structure Enjoys routines Resistant to change Reliant on rituals to participate Figure 1. Characteristics of specific sensory processing patterns according to Dunn’s conceptual model of sensory processing (Dunn et al., 2002, p. 175) It is important to understand that individuals may not necessarily have only one consistent sensory processing pattern. They may have different patterns for different locations, times of day, or sensory systems. For instance, someone might avoid all tactile stimulation but seek out or have moderate responses to visual or auditory input (Dunn, Saiter, & Rinner, 2002).
Counseling Asperger‟s 13 Of particular interest in Figure 1 is the bottom row, “Potentially interfering characteristics of this pattern of sensory processing.” These are the symptoms of Asperger‟s that are often misattributed to behavioral or attitudinal problems. However, when the sensory needs of individuals with Asperger‟s are not met, it is very difficult to behave appropriately (Dunn, Myles, & Orr, 2002). Academic/Vocational Characteristics Because Asperger‟s does not include intellectual or language impairments, one might assume that these individuals would do well in a school or work environment, especially if they are not pressured to socialize and have their sensory needs met. In fact, individuals with Asperger‟s do excel in understanding and retention of factual information (Church, Alisanki, & Amanullah, 2000). However, it is difficult to predict how someone with Asperger‟s will perform on a variety of educational tasks. In a 2002 study, Griswold, Barnhill, Myles, Hagiwara, and Simpson found that participants with Asperger‟s scores on tests including Wechsler IQ, WIAT, and TOPS-R/TOPS-A were notable for their variety and unpredictability. Participants scored from far below what might be expected given their grade level to far above average. This seeming disconnect might be due to the belief that individuals with Asperger‟s struggle with concrete and literal thinking styles, inflexibility, difficulty comprehending abstract materials, difficulty understanding inferentially based materials, difficulty with generalizing information, poor organizational skills, difficulty in discerning relevant from irrelevant stimuli, and difficulty applying skills and knowledge to solve problems (Frith, 1991; Siegel, Minshew, & Goldstein, 1996; Myles & Simpson, 2002). In other words, individuals with Asperger‟s may struggle with executive functions.
Page 1 and 2: Running Head: COUNSELING ADULTS WIT
Page 3 and 4: TABLE OF CONTENTS Counseling Asperg
Page 5 and 6: LIST OF FIGURES Counseling Asperger
Page 7 and 8: METHODOLOGY Electronic Search Couns
Page 9 and 10: LITERATURE REVIEW Psychological and
Page 11: Counseling Asperger‟s 11 When com
Page 15 and 16: Co-Morbid Diagnoses Counseling Aspe
Page 17 and 18: DAMP Counseling Asperger‟s 17 DAM
Page 19 and 20: Counseling Asperger‟s 19 with Asp
Page 21 and 22: Counseling Asperger‟s 21 when ple
Page 23 and 24: Counseling Asperger‟s 23 person.
Page 25 and 26: Counseling Asperger‟s 25 ability,
Page 27 and 28: 4: Interpersonal problem-solving Di
Page 29 and 30: Counseling Asperger‟s 29 Informat
Page 31 and 32: Counseling Asperger‟s 31 characte
Page 33 and 34: Counseling Asperger‟s 33 Sims, in
Page 35 and 36: Counseling Asperger‟s 35 2. Worki
Page 37 and 38: Counseling Asperger‟s 37 working
Page 39 and 40: Counseling Asperger‟s 39 Results
Page 41 and 42: Counseling Asperger‟s 41 often at
Page 43 and 44: Counseling Asperger‟s 43 An effec
Page 45 and 46: Counseling Asperger‟s 45 The use
Page 47 and 48: Counseling Asperger‟s 47 American
Page 49 and 50: Counseling Asperger‟s 49 are held
Page 51 and 52: Counseling Asperger‟s 51 being re
Page 53 and 54: Counseling Asperger‟s 53 Before r
Page 55 and 56: Counseling Asperger‟s 55 expresse
Page 57 and 58: SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS Counseling
Page 59 and 60: REFERENCES Counseling Asperger‟s
Page 61 and 62: Counseling Asperger‟s 61 Dunn, W.
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Counseling Asperger‟s 63 Hillier,
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Counseling Asperger‟s 65 Mesibov,
Page 67 and 68:
Counseling Asperger‟s 67 Stoddart
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