Can corporate America accommodate people with social skills deficit?

Can corporate America accommodate people with social skills deficit? Well, yes, but how? Companies have cultures. Some may be easier for people with social skills deficits than others.  As the employee what is your role?  What is the managers role? There are no easy answers ,and it depends on the job. It’s a lot easier to …

Socializing with People on the Autism Spectrum

Board game meetups are a great place for high functioning people on the autism spectrum to socialize. I was part of a board game group that had several neurodivergent players. However, one player had a difficult time. Sometimes they said things that offended other players. They cheated when teaching new players which made their opponents …

Transitioning to College with Learning Disabilities

Post high school education can be challenging for students transitioning from high school with special education services on little or no transition planning.   Concerns about self-care, class preparation, and social interactions are ever-present for all freshman. However, especially for students with who have been fully supported with special education services through high school, the changes …

Social engineering to improve social deficits

In a recent article in Attitude magazine, a magazine that offers strategies and support for people and their families with ADHD and LD, a mom created a Facebook birthday event for her son with Asperger syndrome.  No one wanted to come to her son’s 13th birthday  and her son was upset.  She decided to with …

It’s a Two Way Street: Communicating with People with Asperger Syndrome

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 …

Learning disabilities: I can learn….

  Parents fear that their child’s language based learning disability will limit opportunities, but with additional supports like speech/language therapy this is not true.   Even if the distinction between learning disabilities and intellectual impairment is made clear to children, they will pick up on the fact that in school they are having more problems than their …

Asperger Syndrome: Nonfiction vs Fiction

 Do people with Asperger Syndrome prefer fiction or non-fiction? It has been suggested that people with Asperger prefer nonfiction because it provides fact-based information related to their special interest. However, I have known people with Asperger syndrome who enjoyed fiction.   The lack of interest in reading fiction usually begins in childhood when children begin …

“I don’t like to…”

Pre-teens, teens, and language remediation “I don’t like to read!” says one pre-teen who is known to struggle with reading comprehension. “I don’t like to talk; I’m quiet,” says a pre-teen who struggles to formulate his ideas verbally. “Writing is stupid. Why do I have to do that? I will never use it,” says another …

10 Fruits in 60 seconds: The importance of categorization

“Quick, in 60 seconds name 10 items that go in the category, fruits.”  Generally, this task for typically developing children age 10 and older, can perform this task quickly.  Categorizing information into similar items is a task we often take for granted.  However, for children with high-functioning autism and Asperger’s syndrome, classifying and sorting like …

Facilitating Language Using Asperger Syndrome Special Interests

“I love video games and science, ” states the 11 year old with Asperger syndrome. A  characteristic of Asperger syndrome special interests can be used to facilitate language and provide career options.   Using special interests in speech-language therapy is a way to motivate clients to practice skills until mastered.This benefit is not limited only …