How to Detect Signs of Asperger's Syndrome

Asperger's Syndrome

Asperger’s Syndrome is a form of Autism that is defined by the person’s lack of social skills and communication difficulties. There are many people in the world who aren’t comfortable talking to strangers or speaking in front of a crowd but for people with Asperger’s the social barrier is much more complex and involved.

People with Asperger’s don’t have any obvious difference in their appearance so it usually goes undetected until someone has a conversation with them or watches them interact.

What Are The Signs?

There are a few different behaviors or idiosyncrasies that are indicative of a person having Asperger’s Syndrome. Some of those symptoms may include:

difficulty with communications
trouble with personal interactions
anxiety associated with transitions
sleeping problems
meltdowns
sensory sensitivities
lack of empathy
a consuming specific interest
Always present any suspicions or concerns to your doctor for a formal diagnosis.


Communication Challenges

People with Asperger’s Syndrome usually have an exceptionally large vocabulary and often talk very quickly. The difficulty they experience with communication has more to do with what they say than their ability to say it. The sentences they say aren’t always organized in the right way or completely on topic. However, their words are usually enunciated and pronounced perfectly. In short, the words that they need are in their heads, they just sometimes have a hard time organizing them to get across what they are trying to tell you.

Young children with Asperger’s communication will sometimes consist of simply repeating. Not necessarily repeating back what you have just said to them but, repeating television commercials or conversations they have heard. All children enjoy saying a funny line from a cartoon over and over. This is different.

When a child has Asperger’s the only conversation they will engage in is one that has been learned. Repeating dialog instead of organizing their own words is easier for these kids because they frequently have an incredible long term memory and it satisfies their need for predictability.

Part of the social challenge that people with Asperger’s have is that they aren’t able to control or predict what another person will say or do next. This can cause major anxiety for them because the unknown is very scary. That is why reusing a conversation that has already happened is the perfect solution for these kids, they know exactly what will be said next.

This particular behavior is a perfect example of how people with Asperger’s learn social behaviors much like a typical person learns another language. When someone wants to learn Chinese for example, a teacher or visual aid will instruct them how to respond to certain situations or request what they need. The student repeats the phrase over and over until they have learned so many conversations they are able to break them apart and organize them into their own dialog. This is very similar to how people with Asperger’s learn to navigate the social world around them.

A common visual indication that someone may have Asperger’s Syndrome is that they don’t make eye contact and often don’t notice facial expressions or body language. This is extremely challenging for the person who is interacting with them because it isn’t clear if they are paying attention. They also have a very hard time understanding sarcasm, humor, and passive aggressive behaviors. They take everything that is said very literally.

Social Interactions

People with Asperger’s Syndrome typically spend much of the time in their own world, mentally isolated from others.

You may notice that children with this syndrome have a lack of interest in cooperative play. Activities and games that are independent or that involve side by side play are much more appealing to them. They may want to play in a sand box next to another child, but they will be building their own masterpiece instead of joining in on a team project.

People with Asperger’s also don’t enjoy pretending or making up rules to a game as you go along. Everything has to be very organized and predictable. Fantasy and fiction doesn’t have a place in their world of facts and order.

Transitions

Change or switching from one situation to another, better known as transitions can cause extreme anxiety for people who have this syndrome.

The degree of anxiety and transition varies due to the fact that no two Asperger cases are the same but some level of difficulty is certain.

These transitions can range from a person getting very agitated when they have to leave their home to go somewhere new, to a complete melt down because a child had their seat moved at school unexpectedly. It is very important for individuals with Asperger's that life is as predictable as possible and that any change in routine is told to them well in advance so they have time to adjust and organize it to their comfort level.

source Hubpages.com