Mild Asperger's Symptoms

Asperger's syndrome is one of the milder autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) that involves problems in communication and social skills. Individuals who have mild Asperger's symptoms typically come across as a bit eccentric rather than fully autistic.

Social Problems

• Individuals with mild Asperger's symptoms typically find it hard to make and keep friends. While they are personable and friendly, they lack the ability to judge personal space and understand social cues.

Communication Problems

• Mild Asperger's symptoms often cause communication problems because of a patient's lack of eye contact, awkward gestures and few facial expressions. Asperger's patients also have trouble understanding humor and tend to interrupt when others are talking.

Motor Skills Problems

• Asperger's patients tend to have poor balance, manual dexterity and handwriting.

Obsessive Behavior

• Asperger's syndrome patients frequently have an obsession with one or two particular, narrow subjects, such as maps, street names or the weather. These patients can talk about their obsessions incessantly.

Hypersensitivity

• Mild Asperger's syndrome often includes hypersensitivity to sound, light, pain, temperature and touch. Asperger's patients can be very picky about what foods they eat because they are so sensitive to texture.

Cause and Treatments

• While medical researchers haven't determined the exact cause of Asperger's syndrome, there appears to be a strong genetic factor. Treatment typically includes social skills training, psychotherapy and medication for any co-existing anxiety or depression.