Life histories of four teenage boys with Asperger Syndrome, with an emphasis on their experiences of school

Abstract

Life histories of four teenage boys with Asperger Syndronie (AS) were developed to explore their views about school, to look at how the 'label' of AS and having AS affects their lives at school and to consider whether best practice guidelines for teaching students with AS are being applied in schools. AS is characterised by difficulties in social interaction, communication, imagination, sensory sensitivity and motor clumsiness. People with AS often develop special interests and routines which affect their motivation at school and their ability to adapt to commonplace changes in a typical school day. Listening to teenagers with AS is essential to increasing understanding of their needs. They have suggestions for improvements and very definite ideas about how well schools are meeting their needs. The importance of social skills and the impact of bullying on students with AS, are apparent in the narratives. All participants experienced difficulties associated with handwriting. Schools varied in their responses to this issue. The effect of high noise levels on some students with AS is also discussed. Sensory sensitivities can make school extremely stressful for these students. Acknowledgment of the AS 'label' ranged from total acceptance to repeated rejection. To the recipient, a diagnosis of AS can bring relief and understanding or it can engender anger towards others who fail to respect the diagnosis. The literature search revealed best practice guidelines specific to teaching adolescent students with AS. They are not consistently being applied in schools. Further research into how and why schools choose to "normalise" students with AS is suggested. However there are teachers who are making a positive difference in the education of students with AS. The experiences of the participants suggest that achieving sufficient success at school to remain there until senior level will bring many positive effects. In contrast, if a student with AS leaves school early, he will become progressively further behind in social skills, even if they are being taught, through lack of exposure to his peers and teen culture. A young person with AS, who is unlikely to be involved in team sports, has fewer opportunities for friendship once he has left school.