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 asperger's disorder

Asperger’s Disorder is a form of Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD). PDD subcategories also include Autism, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, Rett’s Syndrome, and PDD NOS.

Language Impairment

Asperger's Disorder has many of the characteristics of Autism except that a child diagnosed as having Asperger's Disorder may have seemingly normal communication and/or cognitive development.  I say “seemingly” because often the child learns to use the language without fully understanding the meaning of the words. For example, a kindergarten child I worked with had difficulty transitioning. When the other children would like up at the door, he could not do this and caused his teacher daily frustration until one day when the child blurted out in his frustration “I would line up, but where is the line?”

Social Impairment

Children with Asperger’s Disorder also have marked impairment in social understanding. They may not get the meaning behind words, body language, intonation, and social cues. Therefore, they sometimes are at the mercy of those around them to help them figure out what to do and how to interact or respond to other’s interactions. They also might not discern the hierarchy of social power so that a peer’s instructions weigh equally with a parent or teacher’s instructions.

 It is critical to control peer influence in the teen years, as children with Asperger’s frequently become the butt of jokes and peers may deliberately influence them wrongly. They lack understanding for conventional social relationships. Their relatively good verbal skills may lead caregivers and teachers to believe the child has behavioral issues because of the child’s willfulness or stubbornness but most commonly, the issue is not behavioral, but one of cognitive impairment in understanding social appropriate responses.

Cognitive

Most children with Asperger’s Disorder have above average intelligence. Recent research suggests children with Asperger’s come from families with above average intelligence as well. Many have specialty areas that they are particularly gifted in. These specialty areas should be nurtured and built upon as the child matures. Many adults with Asperger’s can lead a healthy productive life and even support themselves if these skills are in place if rote skills are taught to them and mastered.

One disadvantage in the cognitive area is for information to not generalize very well. For example, a child can be taught a skill or lesson that is only specific to the situation s/he is in at the time with the child with Asperger’s unable to apply that information to a new situation in a different setting even if the situations are alike.

Peculiarities

Most children with Asperger’s Disorder have "oddities" in their mannerisms. They may have quirks or tics. They may need everything in their environment organized and in its place in order to make sense of the world. They may not know when it is socially appropriate to end a story they are related to you. They may need an “ending” to everything they do in order to put it to rest.

Symptoms of Asperger's Disorder include:

• Speech and language peculiarities
• Social delays with non-verbal communication problems
• Repetitious or stereotypical behaviors                                  
• Poor eye contact
• Lack of spontaneity
• Lack of social language through gestures and body language
• Many have excellent rote memory and musical ability
• Many become intensely interested in one or two subjects, sometimes to the exclusion of other topics
• Clumsy and uncoordinated motor movements
• Limited interests and/or unusual preoccupations
• Repetitive routines or rituals

• Tend to be in their own world and preoccupied with their own agenda

Do you need help on issues related to Asperger Syndrome, Autism or some other behavior or mental health issue? Online e-therapy and consultation are now available! For more information, visit PediatricBehavior.

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