What is Asperger Syndrome?

Asperger syndrome is a developmental disorder that makes it very hard to interact with other people. Your child may find it hard to make friends because he or she is socially awkward.

People with Asperger syndrome have some traits of autism. For example, Aspergers symptoms include poor social skills, preferring routine, and not liking change. But unlike those who have autism, children with Asperger syndrome usually start to talk before 2 years of age, when speech normally starts to develop.

Aspergers is a lifelong condition, but symptoms tend to improve over time. Adults with this condition can learn to understand their own strengths and weaknesses. And they can improve their social skills. Both Asperger's and autism belong to the group of disorders called pervasive developmental disorders or PDD.

The Language Feels Unnatural

Children diagnosed with Asperger syndrome share a discomfort with the language in all facets -- listening, semantics (meaning) and expressive.

A child may appear to understand well, however the understanding is weak because he misses the nuances, inferences and other critical aspects of communications. Ambiguity, weak language vocabulary, poor language structure and pragmatics may also cause confusion.

For a significant proportion of Asperger’s children, cognitive weaknesses related to language such as a poor working memory, lack of attention and auditory processing skills can prevent the mastery of language and reading. These weaknesses may hide his true strengths and prevent him from meeting his potential. Instead of being challenged at school he may have a frustrating experience and perhaps develop a sense of alienation from academic work.

Equally when his receptive language is weak he can have problems in the classroom and socially. Somehow he doesn’t get the flow of the conversations and can feel excluded. This may lead to poor self-esteem, social exclusion and a lack of motivation. However his language skills can be improved. An individual education plan should be put together that clearly identifies his needs.

Potential Causes of Asperger Syndrome

Researchers are investigating the causes of Asperger syndrome, which may be numerous. There seems to be a hereditary component and an association with other mental health disorders such as depression and bipolar disorder.

Aspergers is not caused by emotional deprivation or poor parenting. There is no cure for Asperger syndrome, but with appropriate education, support, and resources, those with Aspergers can live full, successful lives. Early intervention, while a child’s brain is still developing is generally accepted to be best.

Testing For An Asperger Syndrome Diagnosis

If a parent or teacher suspects a child may have Asperger syndrome, it is important to see a doctor or mental health professional to get an evaluation. The majority of children with Asperger's are diagnosed when the child's unusual abilities and behavior are recognized by a teacher. Then, the parents are encouraged to seek a diagnostic assessment.

Sometimes a child's developmental history includes a disorder associated with Asperger Syndrome, such as poor attention span, weak language skills, clumsy movement, moodiness, eating disorders, or problems with learning and that can trigger the start of the assessment process that eventually leads to a diagnosis of Asperger syndrome.

The doctor who performs an assessment should complete a thorough psychosocial evaluation, including a history of when symptoms were first noticed, development of motor skills and language, and other aspects of personality and behavior.

Social Skills
Strong emphasis should be placed on social development, including past and present problems in social interaction, communication, and development of friendships. A psychological evaluation includes tests to determine strengths and skills that may be deficient. Some children, although first diagnosed with autism, develop functional language in early childhood and eventually show the abilities typical of a child with Asperger syndrome. In a child's early years, autism may be the correct diagnosis, but Asperger’s is suspected when children with autism show remarkable improvement in language, play, and motivation to socialize between four and six years of age. Then their abilities become consistent with the characteristics of Asperger's Syndrome (Attwood, 1998). These children may be diagnosed as having High Functioning Autism (HFA) or Asperger's Syndrome.

A Language Disorder
A child who has Asperger's Syndrome may be recognized as having a delay in the development of speech. Formal testing of communication skills may identify both language delay and a pattern of linguistic abilities called Semantic Pragmatic Language Disorder (SPLD). Children with SPLD have relatively good language skills in the areas of syntax, vocabulary and phonology, but poor use of language in social situations. The child interprets what people say very literally. The diagnosis of SPLD explains the child's language skills, but a comprehensive assessment of abilities and behavior indicates a diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome.

How is Asperger's Syndrome diagnosed?

If you are concerned about your child's behavior or communication style, talk to your child's doctor. He or she will ask you about your child's development and ask if other people have noticed your child's social problems.

The doctor may refer you to a specialist to confirm or rule out Asperger's syndrome. The specialist may test your child's learning style, speech and language, IQ, social and motor skills, and more.

Treatment Options

Treatment is based on your child's unique symptoms. Broadly think about treatments in two buckets: coping strategies and interventions that aim to improve the underlying skills.

Coping Strategies. There are a number of ways to help your child improve his or her behavior and build social and learning skills. School programs, job training, and counseling can help too. Many children with Asperger's Syndrome also have other conditions, such as ADHD or obsessive-compulsive disorder. So they may need other treatments, such as medicine.

Interventions. As science develops the ability to watch brains in action, using fMRI's, we are seeing that children on the autistic spectrum make the same errors with children who are struggling slightly with reading and learning. And so the same interventions that help with these reading issues are being used for Asperger's Syndrome.
Asperger's programs

This is why Fast ForWord software is growing so quickly as a treatment in the autism community, particularly for Asperger's and high functioning autistic children.
Autism program overview

Federal law requires public schools to have programs for people ages 3 through 21 with special needs. Contact your school district to find out what services your child can be a part of.