The autspot

Library >> Asperger's Syndrome >> Asperger's Syndrome

Asperger’s Syndrome

Asperger’s Syndrome is widely known as a milder form of autism. Children who are diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome tend to show impairments in social interaction and behavioral patterns, and sustain good language skills throughout their lives. Those with Asperger’s (sometimes referred to as "Aspies") usually demonstrate problems in six key areas:

(1) Language Skills: Though many Aspies have no problem expressing themselves with verbal language, part of the disorder includes a unique misunderstanding and unawareness of human expression and emotion shared through language use. Thus, many children with Aperger’s Syndrome may still struggle in initiating, maintaining, ending, and measuring appropriateness of conversation. Furthermore, a child could have an odd pitch or monotone voice, which can make conversations seem scripted or rehearsed. They may also have difficulty understanding connotations of words—the meanings beyond the words’ dictionary definitions.

(2) Cognitive Skills: Aspies find it difficult to empathize with others, and because of this will often say inappropriate things to other people, due to their inability to understand how the other individual is feeling. The default perspective for an Aspie is that everybody is thinking along the same lines as he or she is. Also, most kids like to play "let's pretend" games, but children with Asperger’s Syndrome tend to think very concretely and do not show as much interest in pretend or imitation play.

(3) Social Interaction: Some Aspies feel more comfortable on their own, and choose not to interact with others. Other Aspies may attempt to reach out towards others, but are indirect or awkward in doing so, thus find it difficult to make friends. Most children with Asperger's Syndrome do not pick up on facial expressions, body language, eye contact, and number of other verbal and nonverbal cues that are used in our interaction with others.

(4) Restricted Interests and Routine Reliance: Those with Asperger’s usually have a few very strong interests, and these interests will take up much of their time and thinking. They are also made more comfortable by routines. Similar to those who are diagnosed with autism, Aspies do not like unexpected changes in schedule, and they will become very anxious and may even throw tantrums if their daily routine takes a detour. This is where the rigid nature of the disorder is most noticeable and most dominant.

(5) Motor Skills: Many children diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome have underdeveloped gross and fine motor skills. It may not be that the activity at hand that is difficult for a child to do, but the planned activity or preparation that it takes for the job to be completed may be hard for the child to grasp conceptually. This is an aspect of the disorder that is not as well understood or studied as others.

(6) Sensitive Senses: Many with Asperger's Syndrome and with the Autism Disorder have heightened or disordered senses (sound, sight, smell, touch, or taste). This can cause particular sights, smells, or sounds to be unpleasant or even painful to a child. It is often difficult to determine whether a child’s reactions are solely sensory, or are behaviors that have been developed over time due to a child’s anxiety or rigid nature. Or it may be a combination of the two.

Diagnosis :

(1) Both parent and child should attend sessions with a pediatrician or neurological specialist, where the child will be observed and evaluated on his or her ability to respond to a number of tests. This is usually conducted through a play or talk session in a psychologist’s office. In order for the specialist to get a better idea of what’s going on, he or she may advise a parent to observe their child at home, and complete a checklist of information that will assist the psychologist in making an appropriate diagnosis. The specialist may even need to get in contact with the child’s school teacher to gain a better idea of how the child behaves in a classroom situation, where he or she is surrounded by peers.

(2) Children on the autism spectrum will have communication difficulties to varying degrees, and because of this, it is necessary for them to have a speech and language evaluation. This evaluation will also be a guideline for parents to follow in monitoring their child’s language capabilities when they are engaged in social interaction. Note: For the best outcome, the evaluation should be conducted by a therapist familiar with the autism spectrum.

(3) And last but not least, it is recommended that a child see an occupational therapist that has a specialty in sensory integration difficulties.

Sources:

[Sohn, Alan Ed.D and Grayson, Cathy M.A. Parenting Your Asperger Child.New York: The Berkley Publishing Group, 2005. pp. 3-5, 13]

[Aspergers Syndrome]