What is Asperger’s Syndrome?
Asperger’s Syndrome is a development disorder where children/young adults experience a rigid thinking pattern and may show signs of not being able to relate to their peers and societal norms.
Typically, children with Asperger’s syndrome have no trouble communicating and generally do well in academics. However, they tend to have trouble when it comes to understanding and responding to subtle forms of communication like body language, sarcasm, and humor. They tend to fixate on certain topics and talk about that on end or want to be associated with a small pool of activities. Their interests may lead them to become obsessive and keep them away from a healthy social circle or recreational outlet.
It has also been noted than boys between the ages of five and nine seem to be more like to develop Asperger’s Syndrome than girls. Many children are also diagnosed as early as age three.
What are the symptoms of Asperger’s Syndrome?
Children with Asperger’s Syndrome show signs of poor social interactions, fixations, strange speech patterns, small range of facial expressions, and sensitivity to sensory stimuli. Other symptoms include the following:
- Avoiding social interactions.
- Talking about oneself or a certain topic.
- Not responding appropriately to emotions.
- Not understanding body language.
- Becoming deeply affected by small changes in routines.
- Clumsy.
- Difficulty in emotion management.
- Not being able to understand another person’s feelings.
- Hypersensitivity to sensory stimuli.
It should be noted that children with Asperger’s Syndrome do not experience any delays in academic development. They do however show problems in using language in social context, have a short attention span, and have average intelligence.
What is ASD- without intellectual or language impairment?
The symptoms of Asperger’s Syndrome are included in autism spectrum disorder. While the term Asperger’s Syndrome is still prevalent, the term ASD- without intellectual or language impairment.
If you are a parent who is concerned about if their child is showing signs of ASD, it is recommended to see a pediatrician who can suggest the right course of action to understand the symptoms and consequent diagnosis of the disorder. Usually, an assessment followed by a test is conducted by both medical and psychological experts to assess the child’s social interaction, language, and intellectual abilities.
