If you missed my webinar you can listen here. “It’s a Two Way Street: Helping the World to Communicate with People with Asperger Syndrome“ produced by AANE and presented by Kai Long, MS SLP CCC of Long on Language.
This webinar will discuss society’s role in communicating with people with Asperger Syndrome (AS). Typical communication relies on people conforming to social norms that people with AS often don’t understand. The burden cannot solely rest on the shoulders of people with Asperger syndrome to understand and conform to these norms.
Often people with AS are thought to have strong language skills. We assume that good vocabulary and syntax skills equates with normal verbal abilities. However, this assumption is false. People with Asperger syndrome have challenges generalizing information. Strong vocabulary skills with the inability to use language effectively results in inadequate expressive verbal language. This webinar addresses neurotypical assumption and biases that make it difficult for people with Asperger syndrome to succeed.
If we want people with AS to be productive members of society we need to adapt social norms to be inclusive of a diverse range of communication styles and learn to tolerate their communication limitations. In addition, identifying verbal language as an area of weaknesses at an earlier age to provide effective remediation will improve their overall ability to communicate effectively. It’s not just a matter that they do not have friends. Look at the cause, adequate communication skills.