High Functioning
Aspergers Syndrome in Children
continued
Skilled social interaction is not a thought out, planned interaction. It is brainstem, reflexive responding to another person, like dancing. Social skills training is generally ineffective and can actually confound social performance because it teaches cognitively guided, planful social interaction. This shifts the Aspergers child away from doing the reflexive social dance. Thus they can never get beyond the dance instructors 1-2-3, and 1-2-3. And, that is exactly what their social interaction looks like It is logically directed through a fog of emotion. They have all the pieces but it is clumsy because they cannot dance it.
Computer Aided Emotional Restructuring (CAER) has been an effective for these children. Described elsewhere on this site, CAER can be very useful for HFAs by extinguishing the intense anger, anxiety and depression that social situations elicit. This therapy makes them less anxious, and when they are more emotionally comfortable in social situations they can more effectively read and respond to social situations. This allows them to take better advantage of the social skills training that they may need.
They end up responding better socially and being happier with the social relations they do have.