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Do I have Aspergers Syndrome? - Page 2

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Comments: Can you have Asperger's syndrome if you don't have all the characteristics but just some of them? or maybe its called by a different name?

Syndrome Aspergers I Do

You don't have to show all the symptoms. Professionals use a manual called DSM-4. It lists symptoms of all mental health issues and each usually has a certain number of signs for each problem that must be exhibited to be diagnosed with a particular problem.

You can read about any mental health issue by typing in your search engine: DSM 4 and then name of problem. If that's too technical for you, just type in name of problem, Mayo Clinic usually has good info. You can also type the name of a symptom you have and find information about it, what it might be. Search engines are wonderful tools these days for questions we may have.

Also, remember a person can have other problems, such as learning disabilities, in addition to Asperger's. We're all individuals and not going to fit neatly into boxes perfectly. These are just tools to help us diagnose problems. There will always be some variation. If most of this fits you or you feel troubled and want to talk about your issues, it's a good idea to seek out professional help or at least resource groups for assistance. God bless you.

In general, diagnosis of Asperger's is based upon:

*Impairment of social interaction
* Impairment of social communication
* Impairment of social imagination, flexible thinking and imaginative play .Absence of a significant delay in cognitive development
* Absence of general delay in language development

There are ten primary characteristics of children with Asperger's Syndrome.

Social Relation Difficulties---

Characteristics: Children with Asperger's Syndrome tend to exhibit a lack of effectiveness in social interactions rather than a lack of social interactions. They tend to have difficulty knowing how to 'make connections' socially. Children with Asperger's Syndrome easily misread social situations and as a result, others often interpret their interactions and responses as being odd.

Children with Asperger's Syndrome can exhibit low self-esteem and possible depression, particularly when they reach adolescence, due to their painful awareness of the social differences that exist between them and their peers. They have a desire to "fit m" socially, yet have no idea how to do this.

Social Reciprocity: Children with Asperger's Syndrome can exhibit an imbalance in reciprocal social relations (I.e., the "give and take" in social relationships).

The child can exhibit the need to take control and direct social situations according to his own limited
social rules and social understanding.
The child can appear very quiet, withdrawn and even unresponsive. He exhibits limited social drive. It
can be extremely difficult for the social participant to engage the child in a social relation.

Recognizing and interpreting various social situations: children with Asperger's Syndrome typically have great difficulty recognizing, understanding and thus applying appropriate social skills to various social situations. Their unique processing/learning systems do not readily allow for accurate recognition and interpretation of this seemingly abstract information.

Social rules: Children with Asperger's Syndrome typically do not learn social rules, either by observing others or through frequent verbal reminders. This is not intentional breaking of rules but rather not understanding them.

Friendship skills: Children with Asperger's Syndrome tend to exhibit limited knowledge of the concept of
friendship. Children with Asperger's Syndrome also do not appear to attend to or respond to peer pressure. They may have definite preferences for clothing due to comfort level, in relation to sensory sensitivities without regard or concern for popular styles as worn by peers.

Understanding and expressing varied emotional states: Children with Asperger's Syndrome may have
difficulty identifying (labeling and understanding) varied emotional states, both in themselves and in others. In addition, regulation of emotional states can be extremely difficult.

It is important to emphasize that children with Asperger's Syndrome will not learn social
relations by watching other people, or by participating in various social situations. They tend to have great difficulty even recognizing the essential information of a social situation, let alone processing / interpreting it appropriately.

Social Communication Difficulties---

Conversational discourse skills: Children with Asperger's Syndrome can generally engage in routine
social interactions such as greetings. However, they may exhibit significant difficulty engaging in extended interactions, or 'two-way" relationships.

They can have difficulty initiating and maintaining appropriate conversations, engaging in conversational turn taking,and changing topics in an appropriate manner. Their language can be extremely egocentric in that they tend to talk at people, instead of to them, exhibiting seemingly one-sided conversations. Incessant question asking can also be prevalent,

Understanding and using non-verbal social communication (discourse) skills: Children with Asperger's
Syndrome can have significant difficulty interpreting non- verbal social communication skills used to
regulate social interactions (e.g., tone of voice, facial expressions, body postures, gestures, personal space, vocal volume, use of eye contact to "read" faces, etc.). Ex. Raised eyebrow

Narrative discourse skills: Children with Asperger's Syndrome can exhibit difficulty with their narrative
discourse skills, including relating past events, or retelling movies, stories, and T. V. Shows in a cohesive and sequential manner. They may leave out important pieces of relational information, as well as referents, and may use many revisions, pauses and/or repetitions.


Additionally:
Children with Asperger's Syndrome typically exhibit strengths in their visual processing skills, with significant weaknesses m their ability to process information auditorilly. Therefore use of visual methods of teaching, as well as visual support strategies, should always be incorporated to help the child with Asperger's Syndrome better understand his environment.

(From DSM-3)

I hope this helps you. The DSM also lists effective teaching methods for children with Asperger's and more general information. It is worth the time to read if you have this problem or a child with it.

Do I have Aspergers Syndrome? Health & Special Psychology

It's possible you have Aspergers. My co-workers and I work often with autistic children from all parts of the spectrum and we always say that it seems everyone has some aspects that relate to autism. But if you have so many at one time then there is a good chance. You do need to be tested by a professional phychologist or pshychiatrist who is experienced in developmental testing to know for certain though.

Page 2 Syndrome Aspergers I Do

Don't be surprised if your child with Aspergers might have a new diagnosis.The American Psychiatric Association (APA) is now in the process of developing and finalizing the new Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) Version 5 and Aspergers (as a diagnosis) will no longer exist.

Syndrome Aspergers I Do

Asperger Syndrome, a Trait in Great Demand

According to Doctor Tony Attwood, a world authority on this disorder described the syndrome as a "different way of thinking" that has transformed Asperger into a trait in great demand, especially in the field of technology, where an eye for details is highly valued. Ref. Source 2