How to Diagnose Asperger Syndrome

Asperger syndrome is a disorder on the autism spectrum. The disease was named after Hans Asperger, who identified the syndrome. There is no cure for Asperger's disorder and no single treatment is available, although it is now fairly easy to diagnose.

Instructions

• 1

  Know the symptoms of Asperger syndrome. Children who are diagnosed with Asperger syndrome tend to be apathetic about developing social relationships, and do not usually have close friends. Children with Asperger have repetitive interests, and tend to be extremely focused on one subject. Speech difficulties are common, including speaking too loudly or quietly, changing subjects abruptly or missing nuances in conversations.

• 2

  Take your child to a general practitioner. He or she can measure the developmental skills of your child against an average child of the same age. These developmental skills may include conversational skills, playing with others, concentration while playing alone and interactions with the doctor.

• 3

  If the doctor finds reason for concern, he will recommend you to an autism specialist. The autism specialist will give your child the Autism Diagnostic Interview and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule. Both tests are a set of interactive tasks between your child and the doctor that measure his or her cognitive ability, conversational skills and degree of focus. The tests take several hours, and can only be taken by children who are at least 18 months old.

• 4

  Receive a diagnosis. Suggest the possibility of Asperger syndrome to your doctor; children with Asperger syndrome are sometimes misdiagnosed as having attention deficit disorder. The older your child is, the more difficult Asperger syndrome is to recognize.

• 5

  Form a plan of action for your child. Your autism specialist can prescribe a treatment regimen, usually including behavioral therapy, medication, social skill training, physical therapy and/or speech therapy that can last from several months to several years.