Expert: James Michael Roan - 6/29/2006

Question
Daniel was born at 24 wks in 1997, he had a diagnosis of Aspergers in 2002. He was prescribed melatonin in 2004 to resplve sleep issues, and for a while his behaviour was predictable. He developed a stammer in 2004 which was severe. This has now abated somewhat, but can manifest itself when he is under pressure.
However, our main concern are his sudden outbursts of temper, during which it is very difficult to make contact with him, to get him to calm down. they are followed by bouts of remorse at his behaviour.
There is more of a problem at school because of a reluctance to restrain him. He has stabbed a fellow pupil in the leg with a pencil, and recently kicked out a pane of glass, when a fellow pupil held a door shut, preventing Daniel from exiting the hall.
We are concerned that he will place himself or his fellow pupils in danger if these outbursts go unchecked.
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Followup To

Question -
My son Daniel is 9 yrs old, in mainstream school, and gets 10.5 hrs Learning Support as part of his statement, recently he has been having spontaneous outbursts of hitting, kicking, throwing and swearing, his teacers are saying he knows exactly what he is doing and is doing it for attention, they say he isnt being provoked in any way, but I feel that this may not be the case, he seems to get agitated when provoked.

Answer -
Sandra;

Does your son have Asperger's Syndrome? If you don't have a diagnosis, then tell me all abpout his behavior in detail, especially at school when he is around his peers.

Kind Regards,
James

Answer
Hi Sandra;

Daniel's behavior is entirely typical of a boy his age with Asperger's Syndrome (AS). It is the result of a concrete thinking style, and when outcomes to not precisely line up with his expectations, then he is highly likely to explode. Unlike most children, those with AS have difficulty recognizing their own emotions and are themselves completely unprepared for unexpected outcomes and their own emotional reactions to them. Children with AS also have a very powerful sense of social justice and get very upset when they see other children breaking the rules or cheating.

The best intervention is cognitive behavior therapy. Dr. Tony Attwood sells a DVD on the subject of CBT techniques that work for children who has AS and are experiencing anger issues. The techniques themselves, though simple in terms of philosophy, are larger than this forum allows.

In the short-term, however, you should request a reassessment of your son based on the fact his present IEP is not meeting his needs as evidenced by his behavior. This assessment should include a social evaluation and a functional behavior assessment (FBA).

His teachers are wrong. He is not doing this for attention. They do not understand the cognitive, social, emotional, and behavioral profile of someone with AS.

Kind Regards,
James