Image via Wikipedia
What are the Signs of Aspergers Syndrome
Aspergers is a form of Autism. People with Aspergers syndrome are on the higher end of the spectrum. They usually have normal language skills. Their main problem is dealing with people socially. Usually these problems are first noticed when a child begins school. The child can have all the signs of Aspergers, or only a few. Here are some of the common signs of Aspergers syndrome.
1. Have a hard time talking to other kids. Kids with Aspergers syndrome have a hard time going up to someone and starting a conversation.
2. Speak in words that are very advanced for their age. The Asperger’s child may use words that adults would use.
3. Have trouble understanding when someone is joking, or being sarcastic. Children with Aspergers have a hard time understanding tones of people’s voices. They tend to take everything said seriously.
4. Have very limited interests. A child with Aspergers syndrome may only want to focus on one thing. They may take a liking to puzzles, and only want to do puzzles all the time. They will often learn everything they can about one subject. That will be all they focus on.
5. Have a hard time with changes in their routine. This can be hard for a child starting school. They had a routine at home and now that is being changed. The same thing can happen during breaks during the school year. This is a common problem of Autistic children.
6. Talking a lot. Children with Aspergers usually talk a lot. They often say whatever they are thinking whether it is appropriate or not. Most of the conversations they have are one sided. While it looks like the child is talking to you, they are really talking at you.
7. Problems making friends. Kids with Aspergers have trouble making friends due to their inability to relate to the other children. They sometimes try to hard to make friends and scare the other kids away.
8. No eye contact. Children with Aspergers usually will not look you in the eye when speaking. This is another common trait of an Autistic child.
9. Using repetitive movements. This can be a movement like spinning around, or bouncing back and forth while sitting. These movements are calming to the Aspergers child.
10. Problems with speaking. The Aspergers child may speak really fast. They usually do not stop to see if the person they are talking to is paying attention. Their tone of voice is flat and does not change to show emotions.
11. Problems with movement. Children with Aspergers often have trouble with their coordination skills. They may always be tripping or stumbling over their own feet. They may take a long time to learn how to ride a bike.
Asperger children have the most positive outcome on the Autism spectrum. They have high intelligence and language skills. They can often be taught the social skills they need to get by. If you notice any of these signs in your child mention them to the doctor.
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
i think my stepson may have this condition…wat steps do i need to take to have him tested?
You should make an appointment with your doctor and discuss your worries.
My son is 9 and in 4th grade. for years I have known something was wrong but couldn’t put a finger on it. He has complained about kids not liking him, he talks non stop, he doesn’t get sarcasm, he is a paleontologist in the making and will tell anyone who listens about it. But because he DOES hold eye contact, he does have friends outside of school (but they are either younger or older), he’s not clumsy (took him a day to learn how to ride his bike), I never thought Aspergers. Now his teacher has suggested I have him go to a doctor to get a physical to rule out something else but she thinks he may “be on the spectrum”. I don’t know what to ask the doctor and I am afraid to label him aspergers and that not be the case. Any thoughts?
I think his teacher has made a good point here. First rule out what it isn’t and find out what it could be.
Remember not many score a 100% on any checklist for mental health conditions.
This means that someone could have some traits associated with autism and others that are not.
No person is the same.
The most important part of the process is not the labeling but finding out which approach for your kid is the best one.
my granddaughter is almost 4 years old and still not toilet trained. When sge is at my house she wears pants and usually late in the day she will have an “accident” even though all day she uses the toilet, at night time she does not wear pull-ups or nappies and we do not have a problem with bed-wetting. When she goes home to mummy & daddy she is back in pull-ups. My daughter has had my granddaughter registered as AHDH as she is hyper active, something I think is normal in a child, we have times when we play and times when we sit and read, colour or paint. My daughter has joined a local group for children with autism and they spend quite a bit of time with the members of this group and I have noticed a change in my granddaughter as though she is copying other children, she will drop to the ground and make strange sounds and hand leg movements and her speech has changed, my daughter has now decided to have her registered as autistic and I would like some-one to tell me what I should do as her grandmother to help her as I cannot get through to my daughter what I think about this. Oh and by the way my daughter is no longer speaking to me…. can anyone help please
my son is going on 9 in may hes had problems since 6 months old, he was delayed.. he was behind on everything he barely talked when he was 9 months old it was mummbling or screaming and crying and pointing to something he wanted.. he was almost 4-5 years old when he finally potty trained he had to be in pull ups non stop or he was urinate and have bowel movements in his underwear because he would get distracted so easily. but certain things he was really smart at.. he would pile things up against a door to get the latch off, he would climb out of windows at a young age he sticks to legos video games computers those are the only thing he wants to deal with. and loves he gotta have them if he dont its the end of the world to him. the things he can build out of legos is amazing it really is. he cant show any social interaction much he doesnt know how to handle his anger at all. he blows up.. hes picked on alot by children, all around sensitive to things.. he perfers playin with kids younger than him because they dont pick on him. its just hard ive been dealing with doctors since two and hes going on 9 and the one doctor after how long, finally listed my son with this.when the past doctor told me there was no possible way. he still bed wets here and there. im just trying to find more people with the same issues. its hard. his real father aint in his life he pops up here and there. and its hard. i always blamed my self for this. like it was all my fault that i passed this on to him some how i dont know how many parents out there that feel this way. there was one point where he got ahold of lighters. and would start things up. because he was so fasicitnated with the flames.. i just want more answers.. and so many questions…
i have yahoo messenger and im also on facebook..
my daughter is 12 and has just been diagnosed with aspergers, always knew there was a problem but she got by. Since she begins high school in 4 months she has started to get quite anxious about it. She has had difficulty making and keeping friends, never finishes her school work her room is always a huge mess and can clean it perfectly if she is stood over or can spend up to 6 hours in her room not doing anything, she doesn’t get jokes directed at her and always got very upset if any were made. I feel like this has been sitting in front of me all these years and only now does the penny drop. I am however happy that the psychologist has offered help through her school and we can now start over in a positive way to help her along and get her the help she needs. I do feel desperately guilty about not getting her help sooner though.
Dear Gaba,
as a parent, being so close to your child, it often isn’t easy to keep a “helicopter view”.
You have help now. That’s what is important. Take it forward from here.
Take care.
I’ve always thought something was “different” about my son. Some of my family members have thought the same. He just turned 10 yrs (three days ago). Eric Jr does some interesting things. He’s just starting to understand sarcatism. When he was a little younger, he just didn’t get it. You had to be very clear with him. He takes people very literally (if that makes any sense). He has two best friends now but he’s always only had no more than 2 friends at school. Sometimes he prefers to play by himself. I tell him all the time that he could have been an only child and he would have been find with it. He wants to talk about certain subjects all of the time but never at the same time. For example, when the Nintendo 3Ds first came out he would talk about them every day (first thing in the morning and we get up at 5:30AM). I thought that by buying him one he would stop talking about them but once he got one it seem to get worst. Everyday, all day he would mention something about Nintendo 3Ds. Now he has an IPod and he wants to talk about it, apps, or anything about them all of the time. Basically, anytime he fixates on something, he will talk about it constantly (for weeks, months) until his mind switches to something else. His teachers have always stated that he’s a daydreamer in class. Good grades but every teacher so far, has stated that they can tell when he’s not listening. They say he will be looking at you but they can tell that he is really not present in class but he is in the magnet program at his school and does well (A’s and 1 B).
Do you think he could possible have a mild case of Asperger’s?
My advice would be to follow your own feeling on this. If you have doubts you should talk to your doctor or pediatrician. Discuss your thoughts with them.
Better be safe than sorry.