Symptoms of Asperger's Syndrome

Asperger's syndrome is a disorder that causes difficulty interpreting social interactions and building and maintaining human relationships. It is similar to high-functioning autism, but lacks the speech delays, is often accompanied by motor deficits and the onset of the disorder is somewhat later than autism. It is recognized as a pervasive developmental disorder and is on the autism spectrum.

Identification

• A diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome requires the presence of symptoms in several areas of development. The child must show at least two of the traits in the following social impairment categories: 1. Unable to use or interpret nonverbal cues like direct eye contact, general facial expressions, body language or hand gestures in communication. 2. Lack of friends in his own age group. 3. Lack of spontaneity or failure to seek enjoyment from the achievements of others or their interests. 4. Does not share social and emotional events with others.
  The child must also show at least one of the following traits. 1. Preoccupation with stereotyped or restricted interest. 2. Insisting on maintaining nonfunctional routines. 3. Repetitive motor mannerisms or preoccupation with parts of a whole object.
  The impairment must interfere with the child's functioning in social situations or other life skills. There also must also be no language delay and no cognitive impairment.

Effects

• Children may experience frustration in areas of social interaction and may not understand why others react in the way they do. He may have difficulty recognizing the tone or pitch of another's speech and may not be able to tell if someone is joking or is being sarcastic and interpret it literally. His own speech may lack tone and pitch, causing him to be difficult to understand. His social skills may not be developed and he may be unable to begin a conversation or to take turns when speaking. He may not understand body language and may misinterpret the actions of others. His interest are often limited to one or two very specific areas. He may develop great knowledge in this area, but is generally unable to carry on a conversation on the topic. Instead, he tends to hold a one-sided conversation where he may verbalize his own thoughts. Physically, he may be awkward and have difficulty with sports or other childhood activities, he may have an odd or unusual posture and may exhibit peculiar facial expressions. He may be overstimulated easily by sounds, sights and textures and may resist changes in routine.

Time Frame

• By the time a child with Asperger's syndrome reaches his teen years, he may have learned appropriate social skills, but usually continues to struggle with communication and socialization. By this time he may be aware that he is different, but may feel unable to do anything about it. Socially, he is unable to fit in and often becomes withdrawn or isolated.
  As adults, people with Asperger's syndrome tend to show improvement and are often able to learn the necessary social skills to attend post-secondary school and to pursue a career. Their attention to detail and their narrow scope of interests may provide the basis of a life-long career. Many are attracted to technology and the fields of math and science.

Misconceptions

• Those who are unfamiliar with Asperger's syndrome may assume that the person lacks intelligence or that they are selfish and uncaring individuals, due to the fact that they are often unable to respond to body language or the tone of voice of those around them. Dropping hints to someone with Asperger's syndrome is likely to fall on deaf ears, as they will not be able to respond to the subtleties of the English language and cannot decipher language that requires reading between the lines.

Prevention/Solution

• There is no cure for Asperger's syndrome and no medication to treat the symptoms, although medication may be used to treat other coexisting conditions such as ADHD, anxiety or depression. Treatment consists primarily of behavior management and social skill instruction. The child's strengths are used to build self-confidence and to encourage efforts to improve communication. Coordinated efforts between school, home and other service agencies are often needed to improve functioning and provide a consistent program of social skill development.