Asperger’s Syndrome Support Group Forming

By DONNA ALVIS-BANKS

A group is forming to help parents and teachers of children with Asperger’s syndrome, a neurobiological disorder associated with autism.

Rhonda Back, the mother of a child with Asperger’s, is heading up the effort to start the local group.

“My hopes are high for this group,” Back said. “I want to see more awareness brought to Asperger’s syndrome and give more kids with AS opportunities around the state of Virginia. It affects more children than anyone realizes, and I want to help families like mine. These kids are so wonderful, and I think that if more people knew about AS, then they would be better understood.”

The group — called ASSURE for Asperger’s Syndrome Support, Understanding, Resources and Education — will be holding meetings in both Pulaski and Montgomery counties in September.

First identified by Hans Asperger in 1940, the syndrome was named for the Viennese pediatrician who detected a set of behavior patterns in some of his patients, mostly males. Asperger noticed that although the boys had normal intelligence and language development, they had severely impaired social skills, were unable to communicate effectively with others and had poor coordination. According to the Asperger Syndrome Coalition of the United States, the onset of Asperger’s is most often diagnosed between the ages of 5 and 9. It’s estimated that more than 400,000 families are affected. The number of Asperger cases in the New River Valley was not available.

Asperger’s syndrome can be difficult to diagnose and is sometimes mistaken for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Although children with the syndrome may have problems with attention span, problems with organization and skills that seem well-developed in some areas and lacking in others, they usually have average and sometimes above average intelligence.

For more information about ASSURE, call Back at 674-4252 or e- mail her at backchris@msn.com.

— Donna Alvis-Banks

(c) 2007 Roanoke Times & World News. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.