A girl who recently joined our school in year 12 told me she has a mild form of Apsergers Syndrome and she is anxious that telling people will make them treat her differently. What can I do to help make it easier for her to settle in and make friends?

Hi Denny,

It is positive to hear that you want to help this girl settle into school. She obviously has an awareness of her own condition which will probably help her. She has the choice of whether to tell people or not. If she wants people to know that she has Asperger Syndrome she could address her class and describe her condition, and how it affects her life. Often if people are really upfront with their condition and everyone understands, it makes the situation easier.

But she may feel that she just wants a few close friends to know. If that is the case, that is fine too. I think if the friends around her are willing to accept her as she is and look out for her, then she should not have too many difficulties. They just have to understand that she may act differently on occasions and she may have difficulty understanding abstract language and jokes.

If you can encourage your group of friends to accept her into your circle that would probably be a help to her. You can also make her aware that there are people she can talk to if she is being bullied.

I hope that helps.

Johan - icommunicate

A website that might help is one that has "tools" to help people with Aspergers know what to do in their area of expertise. The website is: www.ugetfriends.com Associated with the website is a blog on iTunes! The blog is at blog.ugetfriends.com