Dear Joyo,

Your son is lucky to have such a care, concerned, and engaged mother advocating on his behalf.

I imagine that your son's teacher and school support staff have tried a number of  strategies to help him in the classroom, but I wonder if they have conducted a thorough Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA). FBA typically involves a thorough analysis of the problem behavior and all of the situational factors that are occurring immediately before and after the problem behavior. In this way, the teacher is able to establish factors that trigger the behavior, as well as factors that reinforce the behavior.

FBA can be a time consuming process, so it is not guaranteed that it has already been implemented. If your son's school has not conducted a FBA, I suggest that you make an appointment to speak with your son's teacher or special education coordinator to discuss this option. I have included three links below on FBA to help get you acquainted with the process.

I have also included a link to the book, Understanding How Asperger Children and Adolescents Think and Learn, by Paula Jacobsen. Paula is a therapist who specializes in working with children who are affected by Asperger Syndrome in California. She understands behavior problems in this population well, and she has written two clear books on the topic that offer another take on treatment for Asperger Syndrome (less behavioral reinforcement, more listening).

Finally, if you feel like you have exhausted all resources in the classroom, you might consider pursuing a one-to-one aide for your son. An aide would likely help your son stay focused and on track.

Good luck!

Warm regards,

Laura Kauffman, Ph.D.
Licensed Psychologist
Education.com JustAsk Expert
http://www.drlaurakauffman.com/