Sometimes the failed plan is the plan. My meeting with Robert to talk over my action research plan didn’t happen due to previous engagement that Robert had forgotten about, so we rescheduled for next week. The time I would have with Robert I did researching for my current groups proposal and project during that I stumbled across a lot of materials for my own action research. I’m finding out rather rapidly that my reading list is starting to grow like a bamboo in the monsoon season. I have also come to realize that the delay in my meeting with Robert has allowed me to become more knowledgeable on my subject of Asperger’s Syndrome (AS) and the socialization issues that students inflicted with AS face. I really believe that the delay in my meeting has allowed me to become more of a student of AS and will take my meeting time with Robert more productive because of the groundwork we won’t have to cover. Often, it is said that a little bit knowledge can be a dangerous thing but I would argue that a little bit of knowledge is also a starting place or a key that may unlock the door to great knowledge and without that knowledge we may never ask the questions how and why.

Why Asperger's Syndrome and the Critical Focus Question

Asperger’s Syndrome has recently been brought to the forefront of my attention due to great number of young people who continuously cross my path in education. One of these young people captured my heart one morning, often this young man and I struggled to communicate and connect with each other. One day for some reason I asked him what was on his mind and he told me that he had joke book and he was excited that he had learned so many jokes to tell, for the next twenty minutes we spent sharing jokes with one another. My relationship with this young man was forever changed that morning and all because of changing my approach in communications and simply asking what was on his mind. All of my earlier attempts to connect with this young man were failures, simply because of my approach, all my motives were right but the method I used was all-wrong.

So after a lot of soul searching I’ve come to this critical focus question. Is there teaching and communications training for traditional classroom teachers who have mainstreamed students with Asperger’s Syndrome?

So What is Asperger's Syndrome?

An autism related developmental disorder characterized by severe and sustained impairment in social interaction and nonverbal communication and by restricted, repetitive, pedantic and stereotyped activities, interests, speech and routines.