Asperger’s Disease vs Autism

Posted on February 17th, 2009

Aspergers symptoms

There has been a lot of debate about the nature of Asperger’s syndrome and where it fits within the Autism spectrum. The one thing that is known for sure is that Asperger’s IS a type of autism, but without many of the debilitating symptoms. There are many differences between what most people think of when they imagine an autistic child and one that suffers from Asperger’s syndrome. Let’s take a look at some of the basic differences.

1.A child who is typically autistic will show severe lapses in the development of language. A high percentage of autistic children may never develop language skills at all. With a child or an adolescent who has Asperger’s syndrome, language skills are usually not affected at all and in fact can be above average. A child with Asperger’s syndrome can show impaired social development that may lead to a lack of language usage, but the actual development of the language itself is on par with other children of the same age.

2.A second way to differentiate Asperger’s disease from classic autism is the cognitive abilities of Asperger’s children. Most kids that have Asperger’s show normal or even above average cognitive ability in classroom settings and on I.Q. tests. This extends into the later years of development too. However, children with classic autism show cognitive impairments that usually do not improve with age.

3.A third and major difference between kids with autism and Asperger’s is the way the two interact socially. In most cases, although there are variances since each child with autism and each child with Asperger’s reacts differently, a child who is autistic can sometimes come across as being cocky or not really caring about children around them. However children with Asperger’s syndrome in most cases want to be social but are just very, very awkward. They tend to be too formal in social situations, and they are thought to not show empathy to other children. They may also appear to have no knowledge of social rules and proper mannerisms. They can also show almost complete lack of eye contact, which many regard as a lack of interest in being social, but it is more out of awkwardness than a lack of wanting to be social.

4.A final way that you can tell if a child has Asperger’s syndrome and not traditional autism is the way an Asperger’s syndrome child becomes obsessed with things. The subject of the obsession can range something like sports statistics to obscure things like names of Russian czars or any other bizarre thing you can think of. This obsessive behavior also has an impact on the child’s socialization. They tend to only want to talk about whatever their current obsession is with other people, including kids their own age. This can add to the awkward social interaction that is common for those with Asperger’s syndrome. Asperger's Disease

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When talking about Asperger’s vs Autism, children with Asperger’s are sometimes referred to as having ‘high functioning autism’. This is a subjective term and has no medical definition. However it is often used to refer to children with typical Asperger’s symptoms or mild autism symptoms.

Author: Rachel Evans

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Diagnosing Asperger’s

Posted on February 17th, 2009

If you feel that your child might suffer from Asperger’s syndrome, there are many different ways to diagnose it. Most doctors will recommend a full battery of tests that check many different aspects of the child’s development. There is no one definitive test that can tell a parent if their child suffers from Asperger’s, so an entire group of tests are usually performed for diagnosing Asperger’s.

The first step for most kids in getting a proper Asperger’s diagnosis is undergoing screening at the doctor’s that measures things like cognitive development.

As any mother can tell you, these screenings are completely normal and every child goes through them. It is usually at these screenings that a doctor can tell if there is a problem or not and whether a referral should be made to a specialist.

The second step is actually when your child would be assessed in order to make a diagnosis. This can be carried out by more than one health professional, so it may involve a number of appointments who would want to see your child and also speak in detail to you about their behavior.

The team of doctors that the child will interact with is wide-ranging. It usually includes a speech therapist to determine if the child’s language skills are developing correctly, a psychiatrist to help analyze the mental development of the child, a neurologist to look for any problems in the child’s nervous system and any other doctors that the child’s pediatrician feels is necessary to properly diagnose the child.

The team of doctors and analysts will submit a neurological assessment of the patient, as well as a genetic assessment to see if things like autism of Asperger’s runs in the family. The child will also undergo I.Q. tests, tests to judge his psychomotor development, and a complete evaluation of communication skills as well as the ability to maintain eye contact and to understand verbal cues that a healthy child at the same age would react to.

Once all the testing is complete, the test results will be combined with any symptoms that the child is showing and also take the child’s developmental history into consideration before making a determination. At this point, a decision is usually made one way or the other.

Asperger’s disorder can change the way you and your child live your life, and while it is not nearly as debilitating as a diagnosis of autism, it will impact almost all aspects of your child’s life, depending on the severity. He or she can still go on to live a full, enriching and rewarding life, but things socially may be very awkward as years go on.

For more information about symptoms and the various treatments for Asperger’s Syndrome sign up for the free newsletter below.

While there is no conclusive proof, it is thought that people such as Albert Einstein and even Sir Isaac Newton might have had Asperger’s syndrome. So, diagnosing Asperger’s is far from a social death sentence for any child, it just means living your life in a different way than you might have originally imagined.

Author: Rachel Evans

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Asperger’s Disease

Posted on February 8th, 2009

Differentiating Between Autism and Aspergers by JON ARNOLD

Autism & Aspergers are sometimes two disorders that are often diagnosed as just plain autism. This condition that is defined as “classical autism” can be found in the ASD’s known as autism spectrum disorders. The main characteristics of autism are impaired social interaction, unusual, repetitive activities that are severely limited and problems with communication both on the verbal and nonverbal levels.

Other ASD’s include Rett syndrome, pervasive developmental disorder, Aspergers syndrome and childhood disintegrative disorder. Experts estimate that out of every 1,000 children, 3 to 6 will be diagnosed to have autism or aspergers to some degree. Males are much more likely to suffer with autism than females.

Common Signs of Autism and Aspergers

There are several sign of autism aspergers that one may likely get confused with autism. Autism is characterized by three distinctive behaviors. The autistic child has difficulty with social interaction, has repetitive behaviors or may have narrow, obsessive interests, and will have problems with verbal as well as with nonverbal communication. These behaviors may range from only mild to disabling.

The one characteristic that seems to stand out in an autistic child is the impaired social interaction. Signs of autism may manifest themselves as early as infancy with a baby being unresponsive to people. They may also focus intently on one object for a long period of time, much to the exclusion of others.

A child with Aspergers Disorder has a milder form of autism. Both autism aspergers are subgroups of a larger diagnostic category. As previously mentioned, these two disorders are found in the larger category named Autistic Spectrum Disorders. It is commonly known as Pervasive Developmental Disorders in the United States. In Asperger’s Disorder, children affected by this are usually characterized by social isolation and of having eccentric behavior. There are impairments both in non-verbal communication and in two-sided social interaction. They may have a peculiar sounding speech due to the abnormalities of inflection as well as a repetitive pattern. They may appear to be clumsy in gross motor behavior and in articulation. The name “Asperger” came from Hans Asperger who was an Austrian physician who first characterized the disease in 1944.

Autistic children may fail to respond when their name is called, and many times, they may avoid eye contact with others. They have a difficult time in interpreting what other people are feeling or thinking, mainly due to the fact that they cannot understand social cues such as facial expressions or the tone of one’s voice. Children with autism do not watch the faces of other people to pick up on clues about appropriate behavior. They also lack empathy.

Autism aspergers children may engage in repeated movements such as twirling and rocking, or in behavior that is self-abusive such as head banging or biting. Children who are characterized with these disorders may begin speaking later than other children ordinarily would and they may even refer to themselves by their own name instead of “I” or “me”. Autistic children do not know how to interact with other children.

It is too bad that there is no cure for autism aspergers. Perhaps soon there will be a medical breakthrough that will unlock the mind of the autistic child. For more insights and additional information about Autism Aspergers as well as learning how to cope with children afflicted with these disorders, please visit our web site at http://www.autism-explained.com.

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Symptoms of Aspergers Syndrome

Posted on February 3rd, 2009

Symptoms of Asbergers Syndrome – an Answer to the Question "Does My Child Have Aspergers?"
By Benjamin Sayer

How to determine if your child has Aspergers.

Aspergers Syndrome is a neurological condition which is categorized by virtue of it’s qualitative impairment in social and behavioral functioning. The symptoms of Aspergers Syndrome, whilst varied, are frequently encapsulated by a distinct, severe and prolonged impairment in social interaction, peculiarities in communication, and an emphasis on repetitive routines or ritualized patterns of behavior.

Whilst there is typically no differentiation in developments such as preliminary linguistic skills, adaptive behavior and self assertiveness in children suffering from aspergers syndrome, parents may recognize latency in motor coordination in young children as a preliminary indication of the condition.

Often parents are simply able to sense that their child’s development doesn’t accord either with their past experience with child rearing, or their own children’s peer group. When the cause for this derivation is unclear, it can be a source of ongoing concern. The concern is a valid one. Many children with aspergers are demonstrably active in early childhood, but as their difficulties with socialization and communication persist into adulthood, they can experience associated psychiatric conditions, and depression.

Recognizing Aspergers Syndrome Behavior

By having some knowledge of what the classic symptoms of aspergers syndrome are, it’s possible to ascertain whether your child is exhibiting them to a degree which might necessitate seeking a professional diagnosis.

With children grown beyond infancy, two of the more marked aspergers syndrome symptoms are firstly, the repetitive stereotyped patters of behavior, and secondly, a qualitative impairment in social interactions. The manifestation of these respective symptoms can be recognized as follows:

Impairment In Social Functioning

Children with aspergers syndrome may exhibit a clear difficulty in developing age appropriate relationships with their peer group, and demonstrate an aversion to the use of non-verbal communication cues, such as eye contact, facial expressions, or body language. Similarly, they will have difficulty deciphering such cues, and to that degree operate without the benefit of the integral ability most of us unconsciously apply to all our day to day interactions. To use an example, sarcasm may well be lost on an aspergers child, as will variations in tones and speech patters. They will find inferential reasoning, general problem solving and abstract concepts taxing.

A child’s level of spontaneous engagement in shared interests and social activities can be a further symptom of aspegers syndrome. Often children with aspergers syndrome can be animated in their discussion but demonstrate a lineal focus on topics of interest to them, almost to the point that their communication seems eccentric, or at times inappropriate. An asperger child’s apparent inability to reciprocate a shared interest goes beyond what might be described as age appropriate egocentricity.

An individual with aspergers syndrome may also lack obvious capacity for empathy, and this inability to appreciate the emotions of others serves, perhaps unfairly, to reinforce their social awkwardness insofar as their behavior is outwardly perceived. Speech and linguistic irregularities such as stilted, formal or monotone language may also be an indication of aspergers syndrome behavior.

Repetitive Patterns Of Behavior

An all-encompassing pre-occupation with a topic to the exclusion of others is one of the more distinguished symptoms of aspegers syndrome. A sufferer’s obsession can lead some children to become fixated on a particular item or topic. Frequently the child will want to know everything relating to their interest, and may develop what can objectively appear to be an admirable knowledge base in relation to it. However, in discussion, facts or explanations may be divulged with incessant randomness, and an obvious point or direction in the dialogue is at times absent.

Another form of aspergers syndrome behavior are stereotyped repetitive motor mannerisms, such as hand or finger movements, and an inflexibility to changes in their routine. A pre-occupation beyond normal levels of curiosity in parts of larger objects may be one of the symptoms of aspergers.

Being able to recognize asperger syndrome symptoms can be an important factor in early diagnosis, treatment and behavior management. Unlike the subjective withdrawal characteristically associated with autism, people with aspergers syndrome are vulnerable to becoming isolated as a consequence of their underdeveloped social skills. This is notwithstanding any desire they may in fact have for continued interaction with their peers.

Taking Notice Of The Signs

For parents, teachers, or those otherwise concerned with the care, welfare and development of a child who may be suffering from aspergers, the above behavioral considerations become integral in not simply classifying a child as a ‘bad’ child. Aspergers syndrome may co-exist with other conditions, including Attention Defecit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), anxiety, or Obsessive Compulsive Disorders (OCD). Proper diagnosis can assist in waylaying the development of anxiety or depression associated with aspergers syndrome.

Want more information? Before spending thousands in consultancy fees, be ‘in the know’ by discovering insider tips about the recognition, diagnosis and treatment of Aspergers Syndrome Here

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