Aspergers Syndrome (AS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder categorized as one of the Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD) or one of the autism

spectrum disorders (ASD). Often chil The first article I reviewed: Reaching Kids with Aspergers Syndrome (Phemister, 2005) gives a detailed description of the early studies done on children with the characteristics of Autism and Aspergers. It then goes on to provide teaching suggestions such as: Protect the child from bullying by educating peers about the child Create cooperative learning situations where the childs skills become emphasized Teach social competency through modeling and role play or SODA (Stop, Observe, Deliberate and Act_ o Stop: helps the student develop an organizational plan for the setting in which the social interaction occurs. o Observe: note the social cues used by others in this setting o Deliberate: consider what one says or does and the perception of those actions by others. o Act: helps student interact with other by identifying a person or small group of people with which to socialize Provide written instructions Lesson the amount of homework or have them complete it with a resource teacher Have a home-school notebook that allows communication between the teacher and parents and also provides the parents with a window into what happening at school as the child may fail to communicate this information. The second article I reviewed was Physical Education and Implications for students with Aspergers Syndrome (Simpson, 2010). While children with Aspergers are often referred to as high functioning on the autism spectrum, they may have specific characteristics that make it difficult for them to adapt to a physical education setting such as clumsiness, over-activity, inattention, and emotional problems such as depression. This article looks at the characteristics of: Emotional/Behavioural, Academic/Cognitive, Physical and Gross Motor Development, and Social Deficits in relation to Peers and provided a list of suggestions for physical education teachers Emotional and Academic and Behavioural Cognitive Characteristics Functioning provide exercise Chunk and activities on instructions Physical and Gross Motor Development Assess developmentally Social Deficits in Relation to Peers Establish peer mentors (sensitive,

the basis of individual interests Establish clear rules and consequences using simplistic, literal language Use consistent reinforcement systems for appropriate social interactions as well as meeting classroom expectations. Provide a personal/private area (eg. perimeter of the gym, a bean bag chair just inside the office) that is in sight of the teacher document individual progress. Provide predictability (eg. same warm up each day). Give advance notice if things ma have to change. Limit unstructured time Provide a visual schedule Reduce excessive noise by using non-verbal

Reduce complex steps in an activity Provide choice Present skills in multiple modalities (eg. video, graphic, social stories and demonstration) Provide academic challenge (eg. if math is a strength, have them calculate the percentage of baskets they scored in a given time)

readiness for skill appropriately trained) to Introduce reinforce individual fitness appropriate social activities interactions (individual and Use role-play to repetitive = less anxiety) teach conversational Set goals interactions Use repetition and re-teaching (they may not realize they are not doing the skill correctly Use part practice (practice parts of skill separately Limit competitive and team sports

signals to reinforce appropriate noise levels (lights, hand signals, pictures) Organize space and materials

References
Phemister, A. (2005) Reaching Kids with Asperger's Syndrome. The Education Digest 71(2) 58-63. Simpson, C.G. (2010) Physical Education and Implications for Students with Asperger's Syndrome.Teaching Exceptional Children 42(6) 48-56.