subject: What Everybody Ought To Know About Asperger's Syndrome [print this page] Does your kid have a extremely difficult time in social situations? It might be that your kid has Aspergers syndrome. What is meant by "a extremely tough time in social situations"? Well, maybe you've noticed some of the following symptoms that characterize persons with Aspergers syndrome:
* An inability to pick up on social cues, like interpreting others' body language.
* A tendency to carry on long, one-sided conversations with out even noticing whether the listener is listening or trying to change the subject.
* Trouble grasping the usually subtle differences in speech that can change how other's communication is received. For example, children with Asperger may not realize when a joke is being told, or might miss the irony intended and, instead, may take a comment at face value.
* Their own speech could be lifeless and tough to comprehend because of a shortage of pitch or tone.
* Discomfort with any changes in practices.
* May either stare at others, or evade eye contact.
* May appear not to have compassion.
* Can be preoccupied with only one or two interests, that they're greatly educated about. This preoccupation limits on obsession. They may talk a lot about this interest, and often carry on one-sided conversations.
* Motor development may be delayed, with difficulty learning to ride a bicycle, eat with a spoon or fork, or other hand/eye coordination tasks, as well as that of handwriting.
* Quickly overstimulated by lights, loud noises, or other stimuli.
A kid with one or two of these symptoms doesn't necessarily have Asperger's--after all, these symptoms may depict a majority of toddlers you know. The secret to diagnosis is having a combination of these symptoms AND having severe difficulty with social situations. Parents may first see this while their kid starts to interact with other children. Is perhaps your kid unable to make friends with other kids?
Asperger syndrome is grouped with other autistic spectrum disorders, which encompass issues with communication and other social skills. But Asperger's syndrome is usually regarded to be at the less severe end of this spectrum. Even though in few ways Asperger is identical to autism, children with Asperger's generally have normal intellectual and language improvement. And they typically try harder to make friends and to interact with others.
Children with Asperger's syndrome vary in the severity of their symptoms, and in the number of the symptoms they show. Because of this, no two kids with Asperger's are the same. Asperger underlying reasons, thought to be genetically based, can't be "cured." Rather, treatment, in the form of either communication and social skills training or cognitive behavior therapy, could help your kid learn to more easily fit into their social world.
