by Dawn Marcotte

Created on: September 06, 2010

Spontaneous remission from any disease implies that without treatment or expectation that disease dissapears. Aspergers syndrom is not entirely a biological disease and so the word remission does not really apply. Aspergers syndrom is a form of high functioning autism that is characterized by extreme inteligence and lack of social skills. Many individuals with this condition also have difficulty with sensory input, they hear, smell, taste or feel stimuli more or less than they should. Some individuals with aspergers also have additional conditions such as ADD or ADHD. Others have a non-verbal learning disability, that is they don't understand body language and voice inflection when communicating with others. This can cause them to get confused in social situations, particularly as they get older and the subleties of dating are encountered.

Treatment for children with Aspergers is specific to each individual. Children with difficulty interacting with others can be taught all of the social expectations. Practice with parents, teachers and therapists can significantly improve such things as eye contact, body space, and conversation skills. Children with non-verbal learning disabilities can be taught the meaning of facial expressions, tone of voice, body position and other subtle clues encountered during social situations. Treating sensory integration difficulties is less precise. Some children will benefit from chiropractic care, while others simply need extensive exposure to a variety of stimuli. This is one aspect of Aspergers that can dissapear as the child ages. Their nervous system may mature more slowly than their peers, but once it does mature completely they will no longer have the difficulty they did as a child dealing with external stimuli. An example is the four year old who doesn't like the loud noise of a car or tractor. At age 10 that noise may no longer bother the child, but a room full of loud people may still cause problems.  As an adult the individual is able to cope with any but the loudest situations.

Coexsisting conditions such as ADD and ADHD can be treated with medication or diet and may appear to spontaneously dissapear. Symptoms of these diseases include inability to maintain attention, difficulty with organization and being easily distracted by stimuli. A student with Aspergers may display these behaviors as young children when their nervous system has to much to deal with. As the student gets older and they learn more coping mechanisms their ability to focus may improve and they may not be as easily distracted.

There is no silver bullet for Aspergers Syndrom. Each individual must have a treatment plan that is specific to their needs. What may appear to be a spontaneous remission is the ent reaching a level of ability that is equal to their peers. Once they have learned how to interact with others they will no longer need additional therapy and may no longer need any additional special education services at all.

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