When I talk to people who are not familiar with Aspergers/autism, and they ask what I do, I get very excited because I get to talk about what I love! But when I mention the part where I create educational tools for parents and educators to help kids with Aspergers on an academic level, their question is often, "Why? Aren't kids with Aspergers smart?"

While parents and educators of kids on the spectrum do understand that yes, these kiddos DO have trouble, "even though they are smart", it is also important to understand understand a) the reasons why they struggle despite their intelligence and b) what to do about it. This is an area where well-meaning adults, who love someone with autism, fall a little short of the goal.

Spectrum individuals are very good at "deconstructing", so that which starts out simple, can become complicated pretty quickly. One helpful technique is to provide charts, forms, and tools to students and young adults, which have language that is not too specific. Otherwise, it is too easy for a kid or young or adult to deconstruct the apparantly simple language, and then not understand if certain elements fit the form's parameters.

To see examples of ways simple language can be either too vague or too specific for people with autism, click on the inset diagram above, which contrasts the Aspie Friendly Learning Log with traditional reading logs like those used in most elementary schools.