What are the Symptoms of Asperger's Syndrome? Children with Asperger's Syndrome exhibit poor social interactions, obsessions, odd speech patterns, limited facial expressions and other peculiar mannerisms. They might engage in obsessive routines and show an unusual sensitivity to sensory stimuli.
Asperger's: Not a One-Size-Fits-All Disorder
The disorder manifests itself in various ways, and many people experience different symptoms than others do. Some have only mild issues, while some face major challenges.
Adults with mild autism may come off as socially awkward. They may not understand the back-and-forth nature of conversations. One common behavior is unintentionally talking too much about yourself or your interests and not allowing the other person time to talk.
About Asperger Syndrome
Many kids are diagnosed after age 3, with most diagnosed between the ages of 5 and 9. AS is characterized by poor social interactions, obsessions, odd speech patterns, few facial expressions, and other peculiar mannerisms.
Aspergers (high-functioning autism) can range from mild to severe. A child might have a few traits of Aspergers, or might have a large number of traits, and each of these traits can range from mild to severe.
Unlike people with autism, people with Asperger's syndrome retain their early language skills. Perhaps the most distinguishing symptom of Asperger's syndrome is a child's obsessive interest in a particular object or topic to the point of exclusion of any other.
A meltdown is where a person with autism or Asperger's temporarily loses control because of emotional responses to environmental factors. They aren't usually caused by one specific thing. Triggers build up until the person becomes so overwhelmed that they can't take in any more information.
Problems are usually obvious by the age of 3, but children are often not diagnosed with Asperger syndrome until they are 7 years old. Your child's doctor will look for a group of behaviors.
Adults who experience Asperger's may find it challenging to deal with their emotional responses to situations or events. This can cause the person to react inappropriately or have emotional outbursts. People may also have difficulty understanding the emotional experiences of others.
People with Asperger syndrome often have difficulty 'reading' other people - recognising or understanding others' feelings and intentions - and expressing their own emotions. This can make it very hard for them to navigate the social world. They may: appear to be insensitive, even if they don't intend to be.
Some people will have high functioning Asperger's, managing to have a fairly normal life, and others will struggle more.
The Asperger group scored significantly lower on 12 out of the 15 facets of the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (TEIQue). They rated themselves particularly low on questions relating to social awareness, emotion management, adaptability, empathy, and emotion perception.
Most people are unaware of the symptoms of Asperger's syndrome. They include an unusually high IQ and a difficulty surviving in the social world. The fact that the symptoms vary in gender doesn't help.
Asperger's Syndrome
People with the disorder are said to fall somewhere along the "autism spectrum." Some are severely disabled, but others may only exhibit mild symptoms. IQ levels can also vary significantly. Those with normal and above-average intelligence are said to have high-functioning autism.
The cause of Asperger syndrome, like most ASDs, is not fully understood, but there is a strong genetic basis, which means it does tend to run in families. Multiple environmental factors are also thought to play an important role in the development of all ASDs.
Some of the effects of unaddressed or untreated Asperger's syndrome may include: Social isolation. Difficulty making and keeping friends. Challenges in finding and maintaining steady employment.
A psychiatrist will sit down with children for observation to see how they interact, play and communicate. This is done to look for the common signs of Asperger's syndrome. These symptoms include social issues, such as missing cues during conversations and during pretend play.
Individuals with ASDs commonly have a low frustration tolerance and significant irritability. They may report that they alternate from calm to extreme anger very quickly. There have been several studies that suggest individuals with ASDs have difficulty understanding and interpreting their own emotions.
They may manifest feelings less outwardly, or their facial expression might not match what the individual is feeling inside. People with Asperger profiles do have empathy, despite an unfortunate stigma that suggests otherwise.
Asperger's syndrome affects a person's affect and manner more than it does any particular body part. Children with Asperger's syndrome speak very quickly and have a dull voice, and often have an unusually formal manner of speaking.
Neurodevelopmental disorders include a group of pervasive developmental disorders that include ASD, asperger's syndrome, pervasive developmental disorder – not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), childhood disintegrative disorder (CDD), and Rett disorder.
Emotional Immaturity
Meltdowns are relatively common even among people with very high-functioning autism. They can be the result of sensory overload, anxiety (which is common among people with autism), or frustration.