Written for parents and professionals, Asperger Syndrome and Difficult Moments offers practical solutions to the day-to-day challenges facing individuals with Asperger Syndrome and their families. The book discusses clearly and concisely how to deal with tantrums, meltdowns and difficult behaviour from children and young people with Asperger Syndrome, looking in particular at the role of antecedent behaviours, which signal the beginning of a meltdown, as identified through functional assessment. Topics covered include:

* the characteristics of Asperger Syndrome and their impact on behaviour

* stages of the meltdown cycle

* the role of antecedent behaviours

* functional assessment

* strategies promoting social skills development, including self-awareness, self-calming and self-management

* solutions for parents, including organization and support, and daily routines.

The book's main focus is on the various stages of the meltdown cycle and functional analysis as a means of determining why behaviours occur. This is followed by a set of practical strategies that promote social skills development, including self-awareness, self-calming and self-management. The book concludes with a chapter written specifically for parents, which offers concrete and easy-to-follow steps for developing a home plan that addresses agreement on the causes of problem behaviours, family organization and support, the LASTING word and designing a daily routine. Accompanying the clear and user-friendly writing style are a number of helpful reporting forms and other instruments that may be used by schools and parents as they work to reduce or eliminate such behaviour in children and young people with Asperger Syndrome.