Understanding Asperger's Syndrome

An autism spectrum disorder, Asperger's Syndrome (AS) is milder than autism but is very similar in some of the symptoms. Asperger's Syndrome is more common in boys. Children who have AS are seen as "little professors" in their ability to command a large vocabulary. They often have an obsessive interest in a single subject that occupies a lot of their time. They often have trouble reading social cues and to "read" other's non-verbal communications. They also have difficulty being able to have empathy for others. Children with AS usually have poor communication skills, express inappropriate behavior, and have obsessive or repetitive routines such as having to dress in the same order or eat in food in the same order. They often have physical repetitive movements such as wringing of hands or flapping hands. Their walking gait is often awkward and they can be accused of being clumsy.

So You Want To Know About Asperger's Syndrome

Asperger's Syndrome (AS) has autism-like behaviors, extreme difficulties with social situations and with communicating with others. There are more boys diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome than girls. In the past those who exhibited the symptoms of AS were diagnosed as high-functioning autism. In 1994, Asperger's Syndrome was added to the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-Iv). Despite this, there are still doctors who view, AS is a less severe form of autism.

Children with AS do not have any language delays as children with autism do. Children with AS desire to make friends and to fit into social situations but lack the understanding or ability to do so. Children with AS are socially inapt, and unable to understand the social rules of society. Children with AS typically have good rote memory but a good deal of difficulty with abstract concepts. Children who are diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome have no speech delays; in fact they typically have a large vocabulary that is advanced for their age. Their speech patterns though may be unusual, lack inflection so as to be more monotone, and also lack rhythm. The speech of a child with AS may be too loud, be high pitched or interruptive. Kids who have AS are not able to distinguish when someone is kidding, joking or teasing. They cannot distinguish humor from seriousness.

Children who have AS are usually of normal or high IQ, and have distinctive cognitive ability.

The DSM-IV criteria for diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome is that children with AS have normal language development and normal or high intelligence and "severe and sustained impairment in social interaction, and the development of restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, and activities that must cause clinically significant impairment in social, occupational or other important areas of functioning."