Asperger's Syndrome

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Signs and Symptoms

Children can begin to show signs of Asperger's syndrome by the age of 3. However, because most children with AS are of average or above average intelligence, the condition may not be noticed until later. When a child begins to develop socially and is placed in a school or playgroup setting, symptoms of Asperger's may become more apparent. In some cases, AS is not diagnosed until adolescence (especially in girls).

Most experts agree that Asperger's symptoms can vary greatly. In general, each child who has the disorder has his or her own unique set of symptoms. Children with AS usually have a combination of the following symptoms:

• Above average memory skills
• Average or above average vocabulary skills
• Awkward, repetitive gestures, body postures or facial expressions
• Below average handwriting
• Difficulty understanding their feelings
• Extreme difficulty with peer relationships and social situations
• Inability to be empathetic
• Inability to read non-verbal social cues and other people's feelings
• Inability to sense other people's needs for personal space
• Late development of motor skills or a lack of physical coordination
• Obsessive interest in one topic which they may talk about excessively
• Strong attachment to routine
• Strong aversion to change or spontaneity
• Unusual sensitivity to sound, light, or touch
• Unusual speech patterns with regard to tone, pitch, or accents

Children who have Asperger's syndrome may show any or all of these symptoms to various degrees. However, all children with the disorder generally have particular difficulty with social relationships.

Complications
Children who have mild symptoms of Asperger's syndrome may simply be labeled as eccentric and not receive appropriate care and attention. It is also common for children with the disorder to become targets of teasing, ridicule, harassment, or bullying. Because of this, children with AS are at increased risk for developing depression and other mental illnesses.

Diagnosis

Parents who suspect their child may have Asperger's syndrome, should talk with his or her pediatrician about their observations and concerns. To rule out other conditions that may be causing the child's symptoms, the health care provider will perform a complete physical examination and may perform x-rays and blood tests. If no physical cause for the child's symptoms is found, he or she may be referred to a health professional who specializes in developmental disorders in children.

A thorough diagnosis and evaluation are important for determining the most effective treatments for the child. Diagnosis of AS can be performed by one or more of the following health care professionals:

• Child/adolescent psychiatrist
• Child/adolescent psychologist
• Developmental pediatrician
• Pediatric neurologist

Diagnosis of the conditions involves taking a complete medical history of the child, usually based on the observations and recollections of the parents and other family members. Input from other caregivers or teachers who have had contact with the child are also helpful.

The medical history includes information about the pregnancy, the infancy period of the child, the child's early (pre-school) development, and the family's medical history. Specific information about the child's development of motor skills, language development, and interests; about how the child interacts socially with peers, siblings, and other family members; and about how the child expresses his or her feelings also is important.

In addition to a medical history, a communication assessment may be performed. This test is used to gather information about the child's communication skills, including the following:

• Conversation skills (e.g., turn-taking, sensitivity to cues, ability to follow typical rules of conversation)
• Formal language (e.g., vocabulary, sentence structure, comprehension)
• Non-literal language (e.g., humor, irony)
• Non-verbal communication (e.g., gestures, glances)
• Speech (e.g., clarity, volume, pitch)

In children who have Asperger's syndrome, formal language often is an area of strength, and other forms of communication are usually areas of difficulty.

Asperger's Syndrome, Signs and Symptoms, Complications, Diagnosis reprinted with permission from neurologychannel.com
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