Understanding the common signs and symptoms of Aspergers is a must for all parents and adults. From recent studies with adults and children, we are now learning about the symptoms of aspergers that exists in adults and children.
Asperger’s syndrome is considered to be an Autism Spectrum Disorder. Children who have Asperger’s tend to have many of the same traits. It is important to know what these traits are so that you can help your child.
Characteristics or Traits of Asperger’s Children
Children with Asperger’s Syndrome tend to have:
- Difficulty with reciprocal social interactions
- Impairments in language skills
- A narrow range of interests
- Insistence upon set routines
- Motor clumsiness
- Cognitive issues
- Sensory sensitivities
Difficulty With Reciprocal Social Interactions
Asperger’s children tend to find it difficult to relate to others whenever they are in a social setting. Some examples of this include:
- They do not understand the give and take that occurs within a conversation.
- They talk about a subject that is only of interest to them.
- They don’t understand the verbal cues of a conversation (i.e. facial expressions, body language).
- They don’t understand that conversation includes things like eye contact, taking turns, talking about what others are talking about and responding in kind.
Impairments In Language Skills
Many Asperger’s children need help with language development and may even need language therapy. There are several reasons for this:
- They see language as a way of sharing facts. They don’t understand that interests, feelings and emotions can also be shared in this fashion.
- Some Asperger’s children have what they call a problem with “prosody” (how speech is spoken). Herein it is quite common to find impaired stress and rhythm or melody of speech.
- Some have a problem understanding that spoken words have different meanings.
- Some tend to take things quite literally.
A Narrow Range Of Interests With Insistence Upon Set Routines
Asperger’s children have very few things that they are actually interested in. These interests are very important to them because it is their way of alleviating anxiety. They also tend to have less anxiety whenever there are set routines. This is because they want to live by rigid rules whereby things go the same way everyday. Whenever there is even the slightest change, it can cause major stress because they have their own rules that they function by and don’t understand why society has its own rules.
Motor Clumsiness
Awkward movements are commonly seen within Asperger’s children. This is because they have a problem with both fine and gross motor skills. These problems may show themselves in handwriting or holding a pencil: playing ball or swinging a bat; and balancing a bike so that they can ride it. Oftentimes these things really frustrate them.
Cognitive Issues In Aspergers Signs and Symptoms
Cognitive issues tend to vary widely amongst Asperger’s children. Nevertheless, at the very heart of many of these issues is the inability to understand the inferences or the logical facts or premises that others make. For this reason they:
- Have difficulty showing empathy.
- Say things without considering how it may cause the other person to feel.
- Think that everyone thinks like they do, which is in black and white.
- Have very rigid thinking and believe that everyone else should do things their way.
Sensory Sensitivities Are A Part Of Symptoms In Aspergers Children
Sensory sensitivities are oftentimes noticed in young children who have Asperger’s. It is quite common for these children to have difficulty in any sensory area (i.e. sight, sound, smell, touch, taste). This shows up in that these children are either under or over sensitive in any of these sensory areas. Herein it is important for parents to learn whether the problem is a learned behavior or a product of their child’s anxiety so that they can help him cope better.
In Conclusion
Parents who have children that have been diagnosed as having Asperger’s syndrome will benefit from knowing the traits and characteristics of their special child. Once they have this information they will be better prepared to talk to his doctors. It is also helpful to find outside resources that will benefit not only you and your family but that will also benefit your Asperger’s child themselves. Such resources will oftentimes make the child feel better about themselves so that they can lead a more fulfilling life, while understanding what symptoms of Aspergers to watch out for.