Autism Spectrum / Aspergers

Many programs that treat emotional and behavioral disorders will not accept students with high-functioning autism-spectrum disorders like Asperger’s Syndrome, referring those students instead to programs that deal exclusively with neurobiological issues. This effectively segregates young people with autism-spectrum disorders from other populations. “I think that in many cases, this is a mistake…a missed opportunity,” says Utah-based psychotherapist, David Prior, LMFT. “My preference is to judiciously mix different populations in a treatment setting so that patients are challenged to learn new styles of interacting with different kinds of people. This is especially true with spectrum disorders.”