Here are a few tips to help you understand what is going on with a child diagnosed with or displaying symptoms of Aspergers/high functioning autism
(originally posted and is available at this helpful site http://www.myaspergerschild.com/2010/10/understanding-your-aspergers-child.html

1. Despite what has been widely written, kids with Aspergers do have emotions. In fact, more often than not, they are rich with emotion – not devoid of it. More modern literature is starting to reflect this more accurate position. The difference is that the response is different in them. Kids with Aspergers are often very lonely and can become depressed as a result of feeling out of place in the world. Reaching out to a youngster who has Aspergers may open more questions for you than provide answers, but a greater effort is likely to yield a greater reward in the long run.

2. If your Aspergers youngster says ''I need help with ___'', that is what he needs help with, even if it doesn't seem possible. The other side of the coin is if the youngster says ''I am capable of ___'', it is a good idea to trust that.

3. Many Aspergers kids are very intelligent and may have extraordinary skills that you may or may not understand, but at the same time, your youngster may lack what will seem to you to be common sense.

4. You and your Aspergers youngster do not experience life the same way, so their obstacles, interests, complaints, frustrations are likely to seem illogical to you and to those around you. There are many issues that contribute to the way they view the world around them. There are communication issues, stigma, sensory, 'stereotypical interests', unique responses to social issues, stressors, and additional things than you may be able to imagine. If you look at it as if they are dodging paintballs all day long every day, paintballs which are invisible to you, it may make a little more sense that they move the way they do, talk the way they do, and make the decisions the way they do.

5. You and your Aspergers youngster do not think alike. This means that you are likely to misunderstand each other. Knowing this will enable you to do three things:
When family members, co-workers, friends seem to be having a ''group opinion'' in the negative, you have the insight to be able to say, ''It may appear to be that way, but I think it's a big misunderstanding''.
When he says or does something that seems hurtful, you can trust that it may not have been intended the way you thought, even if it seems very clear to you.
When you say or do something that your youngster takes offense to, you can trust that he is misunderstanding you honestly and not trying to be critical.
For moms and dads with Aspergers children, consider this: Maybe it's not only about your youngster's understanding of the world, maybe it's the world's understanding of your youngster.

Aspergers is a neurological disorder, and is one of five diagnoses that comprise what's called “the autism spectrum.” The “autism” label has carried some serious baggage. So much so that in the 1960s there was born a movement of “anti-labelism” where kids were no longer stamped with a diagnosis, and instead their condition was referred to only as “special.” This trend swung too far in the other direction though. Now it's time to embrace terms like “Aspergers” and “Autism,” so that those with the disorder can begin dealing with exactly what it is that makes them different—both the negatives and the positives.

What can moms and dads with Aspergers children do to handle stress? Here are some ideas:

1. Joining a support group can be a great way for families to relieve stress. When someone tells you “I understand …I've been there” – nothing feels better at that moment.

2. Make sure you're taken care of. There's a good reason that the airline stewardess instructs passengers to put the oxygen mask on themselves first before assisting their kids. If you can't be there in a healthy, operating way, you're not much good to your youngster.

3. One of the biggest challenges for children with Aspergers is an ability to shrug off life's failures. But, moms and dads can help their kids to process failure better. Praise, and praise, and praise for trying. Very often moms and dads say, “This is a special youngster, and I want to shield him from failure.” It's a good thought, but it's not the final resting ground. The final resting ground is independence and bravery.

4. Read up on the history of Aspergers to find out how the view of "the Aspergers condition" has developed over the years. Depending on the challenges of their particular youngster, moms and dads will feel some sense of pressure to change that youngster—maybe due to an outburst in the supermarket or an awkward conversation with the neighbors. We can all forgive ourselves when want to secede to societal pressure. What's important is this: loving your youngster for who he is.

Children can qualify for disability benefits only through the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is available only to disabled people who have worked a certain length of time in jobs that have paid Social Security taxes. A child, even if 17 or 18, cannot have worked long enough to be insured under SSDI. (However, if a child’s parent is disabled and collects SSDI, the child may be able to receive dependents’ benefits. And after turning 18, a disabled teen could continue to receive SSDI benefits as a "disabled adult child.")

When awarding Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits to children, the Social Security Administration (SSA) accounts for the fact that diseases and impairments can have very different effects on children and adults. 

Income and Asset Limits

SSI is for individuals with low income who have become disabled; there is an income and resource limit for children to qualify for this benefit.

The income and resources of the child are considered, as well as the income and resources of the family members that the child lives with. For example, a disabled infant who lives at home with their parents may be barred from collecting SSI even if the infant has no income, if parents make above a certain amount of money. Even a child (anyone under 18) who does not live at home may still have the income and resources of their family members considered if they go home periodically and are under the care of those family members when at home. 

Threshold Medical Eligibility Requirements

Once the income requirements are met, a child must meet the basic medical eligibility requirements of SSI to be considered for benefits. The child must meet these requirements.

• The child is not working and earning over $1,040 per month.
• The child has "marked and severe" functional limitations. These limitations are ones that severely interfere with the child’s ability to function at the level of other children of the same age.
• The child has been disabled for the past 12 months, or is expected to be disabled for 12 months or more, or has a disability that is expected to result in death.

Unlike adults, children do not need to prove that they are unable to return to work. For SSI for children, the SSA's initial review includes the severity of the child's impairments, current work activity, if any. The SSA then makes a decision whether or not the child’s functional limitations are severe enough to move forward into a full disability determination. (For example, if you apply for disability due to your child's learning disability, the SSA may not think it is a severe limitation and could deny your child benefits early on in the decision making process.)

Being Deemed Disabled

In the full disability determination, the SSA has to try two ways to find your child disabled: through comparing your child's condition to the disability listings and through an assessment of the child's limitations.

Disability Listings

The SSA has a Listing of Impairments (called the blue book) that outlines impairments that automatically deem someone disabled. Part A of the blue book was created for adults, but can be applied to children if they meet the adult requirements. However, many diseases affect children differently then adults and some diseases are found only in children. Part B of the blue book has separate disability listings for children, often with criteria that are easier to meet than for the adult listings, and also lists disability listings that apply only to children, such as autism, ADHD, developmental disorders, and growth impairment. 

Marked and Severe Functional Limitations

If a child's medical condition does not meet the requirements a disability listing (or isn't found equivalent in severity to a listing), the child may still be deemed disabled if it is found that the child has functional impairments that are "marked and severe." These limitations must severely affect the child’s ability to function on a daily basis. An example of a marked and severe functional limitation is a ten-year-old boy who cannot dress or bath himself.

Medical Evidence Requirements

In order to prove that a child meets or equals a disability listing -- or has functional limitations that are marked and severe -- a good deal of evidence is required. Depending on the impairment, medical evidence requirements can range from doctor’s observations to lab tests.

For children, medical reports should compare the child’s functional abilities to others of the same age that do not have impairments. Functions that should be compared include learning and using information, the ability to complete tasks, the ability to interact appropriately with others, the ability to walk and use their hands, and taking care of themselves (as appropriate for their age).

The SSA will also consider school records and reports in considering the child’s level of impairment.

If more medical information is needed, the child may be asked to have a medical examination or tests done. The SSA will cover the costs of such examinations or tests. Called consultative exams, SSA physical exams are performed by medical doctors (MDs) and SSA mental examinations are done by psychologists or psychiatrists, depending on the impairments.

Timeline for Disability Decision

The amount of time that a child may have to wait to begin receiving SSI benefits will depend of the speed with which the SSA decides if the child is disabled. Generally, it takes three to five months.

However, if a child has one of the specially noted conditions, the child will be able to receive disability payments immediately and for up to six months while their case is being decided (called "presumptive disability"). Some of the specially noted conditions include total blindness, total deafness, Down syndrome, low birth weight, cerebral palsy, and muscular dystrophy.

Continuing Disability Reviews

Once a child is found disabled and is receiving disability benefits, the child may be subject to periodic reviews. If a child's condition is expected to improve, these ongoing reviews can be at least every three years. Even for those not expected to improve, their case may still be reviewed, although less frequently.

The disability reviews will look at the child’s current medical condition to see it is improving and will look for evidence that the child is receiving necessary medical care for their condition. As long as the child is deemed to continue to be disabled and is receiving necessary medical care, the child should continue to receive SSI benefits. 

(article from disabilitysecrets.com. Please see their website for more helpful information))

Drowning is among the leading cause of death in individuals with autism, according to the National Autism Association.

From 2009 to 2011, accidental drowning accounted fo 91% of total U.S. deaths in children with autism ages 14 and younger subsequent to wandering/elopment, and these are only the ones we know of. Of those, 23% were in the care of someone other than a parent.

(Research: National Autism Association website: http://nationalautismassociation.org/resources/autism-safety-facts/ )