Signs and Symptoms of Asperger’s Syndrome

While this site is titled “Asperger’s Natural Help”,  Asperger’s is only a single point on a wide spectrum of developmental function disorders.  Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) refers to anyone who has any form of autism–from the totally locked-in (typified by an inability to communicate and rhythmic, rocking motion among other symptoms), which many people associate with the word “autistic”–to very high functioning types of autism, in which some include Asperger’s Syndrome.

The more high-functioning the individual is, the more difficult  it may be to determine a diagnosis.  Commonly, having any form of autism is called being on ”the Spectrum”, or having ASD.

The program I use and recommend will benefit anyone with on the spectrum of ASD or with Asperger’s.  This is because while the severity differs, the root causes are similar.  I know several people who have had wonderful benefits through using these products and tools, even when profoundly disabled.

However, my personal experience and expertise is working with more high-functioning types of ASD.  Therefore, the information I give, the examples I use, are based on those who are higher on the Spectrum.

Signs and Symptoms

• Above-average intelligence.  People high on the spectrum may excel in fields like computer programming and science.  Bill Gates and Albert Einstein are perhaps the most successful and well-known adults who have either Asperger’s or ASD
• Occasionally, a small delay in cognitive development
• Occasionally, a delay in the development of age-appropriate self-help skills
• A lack of  curiosity about the environment
• Occasionally, delays or problems with motor skills
• Often there is visible clumsiness (due to a lack of awareness of their physical body in relationship to the world around them rather than an innate lack of coordination).
• Deficits in visual-motor and visual-perceptual skills, including problems with balance, manual dexterity, handwriting, rapid movements, rhythm, and imitation of movements

• While deeply autistic children have difficulty connecting or bonding to others, children higher on the spectrum can be loving and affectionate with their immediate family

Social Symptoms

• Difficulty in making friends, with rejection by peers, although they may express an interest in having friendships
• Socially inappropriate behavior
• Lack of understanding social cues
• Difficulty judging personal space
• Difficulty understanding others’ feelings
• Rigid behavior due to an inability to spontaneously adapt to variations in social situations

Abnormal communication patterns

• Awkward or inappropriate body language, including limited use of gestures and absent or inappropriate facial expressions
• Unusual, formal style of speaking
• Very literal thinking, and difficulty with implied communication
• Speech may be tangential and circumstantial, often with irrelevant comments
• Impairments in the modulation of volume, intonation, inflection, rate, and rhythm of speech
• Conversation style may be characterized by marked wordiness
• Difficulty with “give and take” of conversation
• Lack of sensitivity about interrupting others

Unusual Activities

• Intense interest in a particular, often very restricted, subject that dominates the individual’s attention, such as obsession with train schedules, phone books, or a collection of objects
• Inflexibility about specific routines
• Repetitive rituals, verging on obsessive and/or compulsive  behaviors
• Apprehensive about change; may have difficulty transitioning from one activity to another

Sensory Sensitivities

• Extreme sensitivity to sound, touch, taste, light, sight, smell, pain, and/or temperature, which is often not verbalized as such
• Sensitivity to the texture of foods
• Sensitivity to clothing.  They often demand extremely ill fitting clothing (mostly excessively loose) and have melt downs if dressed otherwise

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