Life. WithAutismNathan Atherton, 13, struggles withAsperger's syndrome, but he's not lookingfor a oure—just for understanding.

ii ver the years,"says NathanAtherton,

"I've developed this question:Is there really such a thing asnormal? And if there is, whosets the boundary?"

Nathan has spent a lot oftime thinking about the ideaof "normal." Partly, that'sbecause he's 13 years old. Whatmiddle-school kid doesn't worryabout fitting in? But mostly it'sbecause Nathan has Asperger'ssyndrome, a high-functioning

10 C H O I C E S JANUARY 2011

ABOVE: Nathanat a community

garden wherehe plants

vegetables.

T: Nathantalks with

his brother,Adam, at theirneighborhood

library.

form of the developmentaldisability called autism.

People with autism canhave three kinds of symptoms:troubles with communicationand language, difficultieswith social interaction, andintense, unusual interests.

Complicated DisorderIf you're having a hard time

picturing what all that means,you're not alone. Autism ishard to pin down.

Dr. Martha Herbert isa pédiatrie neurologist atMassachusetts General Hospitaland an assistant professor ofneurology at Harvard MedicalSchool. Part of her job involvesstudying autism.

"There's a saying that whenyou've seen one person withautism, you've seen one personwith autism," Herbert says. "Inother words, no two people withautism are alike, and the symp-toms span a wide spectrum."For that reason, autism is calleda spectrum disorder.

Asperger's syndrome ison the mild end of the autismspectrum. People with severeautism may never learn tospeak or live on their own.But if you meet a person with

AUTISM FACTS• One out of every 110 children in the United States is

diagnosed with an autism-spectrum disorder.

' The number of people being diagnosed with autism-spectrum disorders has increased 600 percent over thepast 20 years. Medical researchers are not sure whetherthis increase has to do with something causing morepeople to develop autism-spectrum disorders, or if greaterawareness has led to more people being diagnosed.

• Boys are four times more likely than girls to develop anautism-spectrum disorder. Doctors have yet to determinewhy this is so.

Asperger's syndrome—likeNathan—you might simply findhim or her to be a bit quirky orjust inattentive.

"Our Own Planet"Sometimes people with

Asperger's are describedas feeling like aliens fromanother planet, clueless abouthow to act in social situationsand unable to understand theworkings of earthlings' minds.Nathan gets the comparisonbut sees things differently. "Meand some other Asperger's kidsthink it's just the opposite—thatwe have our own planet andother people have landed on it."

The inhabitants of PlanetNathan get stressed out easily,have very particular interests

Story continues on nextpage.O

SAT/ACT WORDSnot normal,

average, standard, or usual;deviating from a standard

to determinethe identity of a disease bymedical examination

Interact: to act upon oneanother

c a failureto understand or interpretsomeone's words or behaviorcorrectly

Spectrum; a continuousseries or sequence of relatedideas or objects

C H O I C E S JANUARY 2011 11

f ; Nathanwith his friendMatthew. Thetwo are in achoir.

ABOVE RIGHT:Nathan likes toresearch rockmusic online.

that they love to talk about,prefer to stick to a set routine,and get upset when there's toomuch sensory input, like loudnoise or flashing lights.

"Sometimes I have troubleunderstanding what's going onin other people's minds, andI tend to have meltdowns,"Nathan says. The meltdownsare like little emotional explo-sions. "My most recent one, Iwas at school, and I took a deckof cards I had, slammed themdown as hard as I could onto atable, and then stormed away."

What sets Nathan off?Sometimes he doesn't even

HOW TO HELPIF A FRIEND, CLASSMATE, OR FAMILYMEMBER HAS ASPERGER'SSYNDROME, HERE'S HOW YOU CANHELP HIM OR HER:

• Be patient. "If you see that the personis bothered, ask what's wrong," Nathansays. "There could be something smallthat you can do that will make a bigdifference to the person with autism."

Keep trying. "If the person doesn'tseem to get what you're saying, try toexplain it another way," Herbert says."Sometimes people don't understandbecause it doesn't come naturally tothem to think the way you do."

remember."Usually it'sanger, frustration,or stress," hesays. "It could beanything—fromsomeone notlistening to whatI'm trying to sayto not being able to find some-thing that I'm looking for."

OverwhelmedThat kind of difficulty in han-

dling stress is a key problem forkids with Asperger's syndrome."Their nervous systems are setdifferently, and they're easilyoverwhelmed," Herbert says.

What makes Nathan thinkand act the way he does? Thecause of autism-spectrumdisorders is still unknown,but many scientists arecurrently researching theissue. Experts believe it resultsfrom abnormalities in brainstructure and function causedby a combination of geneticsand environment. "In peoplewith autism, the structures ofthe brain communicate witheach other in ways that aredifferent from the brains ofpeople without symptoms ofautism," Herbert says.

Though scientists have notidentified particular autismgenes, it's clear autism has a

hereditary aspect and can runin families. In fact, Nathan'sthree siblings have all beendiagnosed with autism-spectrum disorders. Hisyounger brother and sisterhave severe autism, and hisolder brother has Asperger'ssyndrome.

Nathan was diagnosedwith Asperger's when hewas in fifth grade, after yearsof suffering meltdowns,tough times in school, andmisunderstandings withother kids. When a therapistwho had evaluated him toldhim he had Asperger's, Nathanwas relieved. "I was kind oflike, 'Well, at least 1 know thatit's something to do with howI was bom, and not somethingthat developed over time, that Icould have controlled," he says.

Safe ZoneSince then, Nathan has

worked on strategies tocontrol the symptoms that

12 C H O I C E S JANUARY 2011

bother him. He saw a familytherapist who helped himunderstand his condition andlearn social skills that didn'tcome naturally. At his current

TRY THISRead the statementsbelow. Each describesa characteristic ofsomeone with Asperger'ssyndrome. Think abouthow they might apply toyou. Then, on a piece ofpaper, write about a timewhen you either lost yourtemper, did an activitythat you really enjoyed,or were confused bywhat someone elsewas doing or talkingabout. Finally, answerthis question: What doI have in common withsomeone with Asperger'ssyndrome?

"Anger, frustration, orstress sets me off."

"I have very particularinterests that I love totalk about."

"I have troubleunderstanding what'sgoing on in otherpeople's minds."

school—Indian Hills MiddleSchool in Prairie Village,Kansas—officials set up aspecial safety zone for Nathan,near the guidance counselor'soffice, where he can go whenhe becomes overwhelmed."It's a little corner where noone will notice me," Nathansays. "I get myself calmeddown, and move on."

Nathan struggles becauseof his Asperger's, but hecan't imagine life without it."I wouldn't have it any otherway," he says. "Asperger'shas made me who I am." Infact, Nathan sees some ofhis symptoms as strengths,particularly the tendency tocultivate strong interests. "Ican really devote myself todoing things that I like becauseI have the ability to focusintensely," he says.

But although Nathan isn'tlooking for a cure, he doeswish other people would bemore sensitive to him andothers with autism-spectrumdisorders. "I've been tauntedand teased all my life," hesays. "A lot of people think ofme and my autism and don'ttry to get to know me better.They can't see past it."

Nathan has had issues withteachers as well as kids. "Someteachers understand, but some

ABOVE L£FT:Nathan harvests

vegetableswith his friend

Elissa.

E.-Nathanrehearses a

song with theniiusic director

of a choir heis in.

of them just don't get that I'mactually behaviorally reallydifferent—that when somethingis difficult or uncomfortablefor me, I'm not just beingstubborn," he says. "Thoseteachers just really don't wantme in their class at all."

Observe & LearnHerbert says that she has

learned an enormous amountfrom people with autism andbelieves that kids withoutthe disorder can learn fromthose who have it. If you havea classmate with an autism-spectrum disorder, try to viewthe world from his or her pointof view, Herbert advises. "Theymay see things in the world thatyou don't notice," she says."They may have a different wayof looking at things that's freshand beautiful and can reallyopen your eyes."

—Denise Rinaldo

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

IWhat challenges do you think a personwith Asperger's syndrome faces in

getting through a typical day?

2 Nathan says he wishes people wouldbe more sensitive toward him. What

can people do to help a person withAsperger's syndrome?

C H O I C E S JANUARY 2011 13

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