Your job as a parent is to keep your child healthy and safe. You see odd behavorial signs yet you never expect to hear that something is seriously wrong with your child. It's a very frightening experience when the doctor confirms that your child does have Asperger Syndrome. AS is one of five Autism Spectrum Disorders. You realize at that point that your priorities have changed. I can still vividly remember hearing those words and feeling both relief and panic.

First you feel a sense of "shell shock" and then you ask "Is there is a cure?". The answer is "No". You then ask about what treatments are available..there's no simple answer for you. Each child's needs must be evaluated on an individual basis in order to determine their plan of action for treatment.

The first decision you must make is to be proactive and have your child diagnosed early. Early intervention is always very important. Next with the doctor's help, you must decide upon the appropriate treatment plan for your child. Lastly, you must be committed as a parent to be an active participant in their treatment. Asperger treatment for my daughter is an ongoing and lifetime process. We work together as a team so to help her learn how to cope and succeed with confidence.

Our comprehensive treatment plan included 5 specific Asperger treatments with an emphasis on her socialization and coping skills and some medicinal treatment for symptoms. The following are treatment methods we used. Any or all of them may help your child as they’ve helped my daughter....

#1 Social Skills Training
The ability to understand and communicate socially has been the most difficult isssues for my daughter to master. She was incapable of understanding the basic socialization skills that we all take for granted. With therapy, she has been able to learn how to interpret body language. This includes hand gestures, tones of voice, and understanding humor and even sarcasm. One of her most difficult tasks has been to learn was how to sustain eye contact when she is speaking to someone. She must always carefully concentrate at all times in order to maintain eye contact. This type of therapy for these valuable skills has allowed my daughter to integrate with her peers at both school and work. As a family, this training has allowed us to establish a genuine relationship with each other…she now understands how to be in a relationship.

#2 Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
This type of therapy has taught my daughter how to deal with her anxiety, anger and how to recognize and interpret her personal feelings. Her explosive anger was a very serious issue for us as a family for many years. With therapy she has learned to manage that anger and to recognize her triggers. An Aspie (a term fondly used for someone with Asperger Syndrome) normally has a difficult time dealing with unanticipated social situations. This type of therapy can help them to recognize the need to develop a strategy in advance for the situation so it doesn’t become a negative experience for them. The treatment has taught her the coping skills she needs to address everyday living.

#3 Medications And Supplements
My daughter has taken prescription drugs, natural alternative medications, vitamins and supplements to treat specific symptoms of the Aspergers. The prescription medications have been used to treat her ADD, mood swings, and frequent depressions. I have found specific vitamins and minerals that we've added to her diet for treatment of her sleep issues and gastro-intestinal problems. We are very excited about the results we are seeing from her taking glutathione supplements. I recently discovered that the majority of those with Asperger Syndrome run a high risk of having a glutathione deficiency which means toxic metals cannot be cleansed from their bodies naturally.

#4 Speech Therapy
For 3 years, my daughter participated in speech therapy program. It's very typical for someone with Aspergers to talk in a rigid and monotone manner. The speech therapy has taught her how to speak with a natural rhythm which has given her more confidence when speaking with her peers.

#5 Home Treatment
I personally feel that this course of Asperger treatment has had the most positive effect on my daughter's life. As a parent, the best thing you can do is to provide your child with a loving and supportive home. You must educate yourself so you can understand how AS affects your child and their ability to learn. You need to see the world as they do and that's only possible if you understand Aspergers. Information is your key to finding this understanding. You then can provide your child with the structure and systems they need at home to thrive.  I established a structured routine for my daughter as this gives her the greatest sense of comfort. She has always performed at her best when she's been in a structured environment at home and at school. My daughter has sensitivities to lights and sounds, so I have learned to make adjustments when needed so she has a peaceful setting to study and work in. I've adapted the way I communicate with her giving her both verbal and visual instructions for learning purposes. She has a very difficult time if she doesn't have the combination of both to reinforce her understanding. I've eliminated many misunderstandings by remembering that she interprets my spoken words very literally and so I have adapted how I phrase myself when we're talking. Lastly, I always try to praise her progress in order to build her sense of confidence and self-esteem. We have both worked very hard to establish a strong relationship with each other. This gives her the inner security she needs in order to try new experiences and still feel safe.

Asperger treatment is a vital element of your child's life and success. Early intervention is extremely important. The commitment you make to provide early treatment and sustained treatment will give your child a firm foundation to grow and thrive. All that my daughter has ever wanted is just to feel "normal" and we are very close to that. Fact is she’s been normal all along; it's just that she sees the world through different eyes. With her treatment, we’ve just helped her to see a different vision.