Erika Peterson CHHS 302 Writing for the Health

Erika Peterson CHHS 302; Writing for the Health and Human Services Professions Psychology Major Topic; Could people with Asperger’s Syndrome benefit from Emotional Intelligence training?

Professional Interest I have Asperger’s syndrome and have many years of life experience dealing with the issues that go hand in hand with that diagnosis I spent many years going to special therapy and learning how to think about what other people were thinking. I have always been interested in helping a group of people I can empathize with and helping in the way I have been helped most in the past.

Critical Situation People with social cognitive deficits + Emotional Intelligence training= Success! Emotional intelligence is a body of literature that helps people understand feelings People with social cognitive defects such as Asperger's syndrome or High Functioning Autism have to learn social skills in an academic manner or face loneliness, frustration, and failure at school or work.

Rhetorical Timing Autism diagnoses are increasing in the general population-(Wallis, 2009) TV and movies feature more autistic/ asperger characters

Causes No one knows why people are born with Social cognitive deficits or why this statistic is increasing. People with AS/HFA suffer from social dysfunction because of an information processing disorder They don’t know where in the environment to search for the relevant information (Gaus, 2007)

Effects If a person struggles to interact socially they may fail to get their needs met “isolation and sense of failure leave them tremendously vulnerable to anxiety and mood disorders. ” (Gaus, 2007)

Community Connection Society suffers when there are people who cannot reach their fullest potential because of simple social cognitive dysfunctions. The solutions are simple and it doesn’t take much on the part of the community to have more awareness People with social cognitive deficits are most affected but the people who interact with them on a regular basis are also affected.

Thank You for watching Are there any Questions? Authors Note; This is a very complicated subject which for time allotment purposes has been shortened and simplified. There are many confounds and they are not gone into here.

Refrences Bobik, C. , Coston, T. D. , Greeson, C. , Jedlicka, C. , Malouff, J. M. , Rhodes, E. , et al. (2001). Emotional intelligence and interpersonal relations. The Journal of Social Psychology, 523 -536. Bradbery, T. , & Greaves, J. (2009). Emotional Intelligence 2. 0. San Diego, California: Talent Smart. Crede, M. , & Hams, P. D. (2010). Emotional Intelligence and Transformational and Transactional Leadership: a Meta- Analysis. Journal of Leadership and Organizational Studies, 5 -17. Docksai, R. (2010, may- june). Teaching Social Skills. The Futurist, pp. 12 -13. Gaus, V. L. (2007). Cognitive Behavioral Thearapy for Adult Asperger Syndrome. New York, New York: The Guilford Press. Hakanen, E. A. (2004). Relation of Emotional Intelligence to Emotional Recognition and Mood Management. Psychological Reports, 1097 -1103. Kirby, S. L. , & Thilam, L. (2002). Is Emotional intelligence an advantage? an exploration of the importance of emotional and general intelligence on individual performance. The Journal of Social Psychology, 133 -142. Omerog, E. , & Ulutas, I. (2007). The Effects of an emotional intelligence education program on the emotional intelligence of children. Social Behavior and Personality, 1365 -1372.