Aspergers Checklist: Does Your Child Have Aspergers?

There is a certain set of symptoms common to Asperger’s Syndrome (high functioning autism). However, each case of Asperger’s Syndrome is unique and not everyone experiences the same combination of symptoms. Here is a checklist to help you identify Asperger’s symptoms:

Social Interaction Difficulties—

A child with Asperger’s Syndrome may have difficulty with the following aspects of social interaction:

• Difficulty playing with others: She may not understand how to initiate play with her peers or how to play by common social rules. For example, she may take a ball from a group of kids playing a game without asking to join the game first. She will not return the ball if they ask for the ball back because she does not understand the negative reaction.

• General social skills: She wants to socialize with others but does not understand how to interact.

• Inability to understand common social cues: She may not comprehend common social cues such as facial expressions, body language or gestures.

• Inappropriate responses: She may behave or respond to social situations in an unusual or inappropriate manner. For example, an affected person may laugh at something sad.

• Problems with two-way conversation: She has trouble with initiating and maintaining a two-way conversation. She may appear to talk at someone than with them. Conversation topics may focus on an obsessive interest. She speaks inappropriately such as talking too loudly or softly.

• Relating to others: She does not understand other's emotions or social responses accurately in a group situation. She may not understand if an activity or conversation is boring or upsetting to another person.

• Rigid range of interests for social interaction: She will only engage in a narrow range of activities or talk about certain subjects.

Communication Problems—

An affected child experiences a number of communication difficulties. Communication problems can include the following symptoms:

• Easily distracted: He has trouble concentrating his attention on people and objects that are not connected with his favorite subjects.

• Eye contact: He may not make eye contact.

• Facial expression: Facial expressions are either absent or inappropriate to the conversation or situation. He may have facial tics.

• Monotone speech: He may speak in a monotone voice, without expression or emotion.

• Personal space issues: He might stand too close to a person during conversation.

• Unusual gestures: He might make unusual or inappropriate gestures during conversation.

Language Skill Challenges—

A child with Asperger’s Syndrome generally has a large vocabulary but experiences problems with language processing. Language skills challenges may include:

• Difficulty processing language: She does not always understand the verbal speech of others or misunderstands the meaning of a conversation. She may have trouble making a decision or answering a question.

• Language rituals: She might have certain word scripts that she repeats ritualistically in conversation with others.

• Literal interpretation of words: She interprets most language on a literal level and misses abstract meanings.

• Trouble with language use: She has trouble using language appropriately in social situations. She may also misunderstand common word meanings.

• Unusual use of words: She may use words in an unusual way or create her own words.

Cognitive and Motor Skill Impairments—

Cognitive and motor skill problems are also common in children with Asperger’s Syndrome. Typical cognitive and motor skill issues include:

• Difficulty with imaginative play: He does not engage in imaginative play as a youngster.

• Learns best visually: He has trouble learning without visual aids.

• Mindblindness: He has mindblindness, meaning he cannot determine what others are thinking and feeling in social situations or in relationships.

• Organizational skills difficulties: He experiences difficulty with planning, implementing and completing tasks.

• Problems with coordination: He may have problems with both fine and gross motor skills. Common examples of motor skill difficulty include bike riding, handwriting and playing ball games.

• Problem-solving issues: He has trouble figuring out how to solve problems outside of his routine.

Limited Interests and Unusual Behavior—

An affected child often has a limited range of interest and may exhibit bizarre behavior. Interests and behavior may include:

• Narrow range of interests and obsessions: She is intensely interested in a small number of activities and subjects and refuses to engage in other activities.

• Self-stimulatory behavior: She may engage in stimming behavior such as hand flapping, rocking back and forth or twirling.

• Strict schedule: She prefers a rigid schedule and experiences anxiety when the schedule is interrupted.

Sensory Input Issues—

Many children with Asperger’s Syndrome have sensory difficulties and may have unusual reactions to certain sights, smells, sounds or tastes. Sensory problems include:

• Limited food choices: He may choose and reject foods based upon smell or texture.

• Odors: He may react strongly to certain smells.

• Sounds: He might be hypersensitive to different sounds.

• Touch: He may not want to be touched.

The Aspergers Comprehensive Handbook

Autistic Traits In Adults: Online Test

The Autism-Spectrum Quotient, or AQ, is a measure of the extent of autistic traits in adults. 
 

		Definitely agree	Slightly agree	Slightly disagree	Definitely disagree
1	I prefer to do things with others rather than on my own.
2	I prefer to do things the same way over and over again.
3	If I try to imagine something, I find it very easy to create a picture in my mind.
4	I frequently get so strongly absorbed in one thing that I lose sight of other things.
5	I often notice small sounds when others do not.
6	I usually notice car number plates or similar strings of information.
7	Other people frequently tell me that what I've said is impolite, even though I think it is polite.
8	When I'm reading a story, I can easily imagine what the characters might look like.
9	I am fascinated by dates.
10	In a social group, I can easily keep track of several different people's conversations.
11	I find social situations easy.
12	I tend to notice details that others do not.
13	I would rather go to a library than to a party.
14	I find making up stories easy.
15	I find myself drawn more strongly to people than to things.
16	I tend to have very strong interests, which I get upset about if I can't pursue.
17	I enjoy social chitchat.
18	When I talk, it isn't always easy for others to get a word in edgewise.
19	I am fascinated by numbers.
20	When I'm reading a story, I find it difficult to work out the characters' intentions.
21	I don't particularly enjoy reading fiction.
22	I find it hard to make new friends.
23	I notice patterns in things all the time.
24	I would rather go to the theater than to a museum.
25	It does not upset me if my daily routine is disturbed.
26	I frequently find that I don't know how to keep a conversation going.
27	I find it easy to 'read between the lines' when someone is talking to me.
28	I usually concentrate more on the whole picture, rather than on the small details.
29	I am not very good at remembering phone numbers.
30	I don't usually notice small changes in a situation or a person's appearance.
31	I know how to tell if someone listening to me is getting bored.
32	I find it easy to do more than one thing at once.
33	When I talk on the phone, I'm not sure when it's my turn to speak.
34	I enjoy doing things spontaneously.
35	I am often the last to understand the point of a joke.
36	I find it easy to work out what someone is thinking or feeling just by looking at their face.
37	If there is an interruption, I can switch back to what I was doing very quickly.
38	I am good at social chitchat.
39	People often tell me that I keep going on and on about the same thing.
40	When I was young, I used to enjoy playing games involving pretending with other children.
41	I like to collect information about categories of things (e.g., types of cars, birds, trains, plants).
42	I find it difficult to imagine what it would be like to be someone else.
43	I like to carefully plan any activities I participate in.
44	I enjoy social occasions.
45	I find it difficult to work out people's intentions.
46	New situations make me anxious.
47	I enjoy meeting new people.
48	I am a good diplomat.
49	I am not very good at remembering people's date of birth.
50	I find it very easy to play games with children that involve pretending.

How to score: 

"Definitely agree" or "Slightly agree" responses to questions 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 12, 13, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 26, 33, 35, 39, 41, 42, 43, 45, 46 score 1 point. 

"Definitely disagree" or "Slightly disagree" responses to questions 1, 3, 8, 10, 11, 14, 15, 17, 24, 25, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 34, 36, 37, 38, 40, 44, 47, 48, 49, 50 score 1 point. 

In the first major trial using the test, the average score in the control group was 16.4. Eighty percent of those diagnosed with autism or a related disorder scored 32 or higher. The test is not a means for making a diagnosis, however, and many who score above 32 and even meet the diagnostic criteria for mild autism or Asperger's report no difficulty functioning in their everyday lives. 

Undiagnosed and Misdiagnosed Aspergers

One of the worst problems is that you can never really understand what is going on inside your youngster's head. This makes it so difficult for you to understand his behavior. This can leave you feeling emotionally beat-up and completely useless as a parent. You may have to cope with crisis on a daily, hourly or even minute-by-minute basis.

 

==> Full article...

Aspergers in Adults

The number of Aspergers adults, like the diagnosis, is hard to pin down. Anecdotal growth in their ranks and a burgeoning online "Aspie" adult subculture that includes dating sites, advocacy groups and chat rooms raises the question: Are we starting to discover generations who escaped diagnosis? The condition officially wasn't recognized until 1994, which leads people to believe doctors are playing catch-up with adult diagnoses.

Symptoms of Aspergers—

• Special Interests: Individuals with Aspergers are sometimes found to have an intense or even obsessive interest or hobby. Sometimes these continue for one's entire lifetime. However, in some cases, an individual may get smitten with a completely unrelated activity. However, this obsessive involvement with particular topics help them in gaining an amazing insight into those fields. These topics could vary from computers to knowing how to play the guitar. Encouraging such individuals to continue with their interest helps them to acquire an in-depth knowledge in certain fields. This could help them to gain employment in their fields of interest.

• Love for Routines: Adults with Aspergers seem to follow routines and rituals religiously. They do not take very well to a sudden change in their daily time table, and have set hours for everyday work. The reason behind such mechanical behavior is not very clear. However, it could be an attempt of further simplifying even the simple things that baffles the mind of an individual who suffers from Aspergers.

==> Living With Aspergers: Help for Couples

• Lack of Social Imagination: Although adults with Aspergers can be accomplished musicians and writers, they are unable to imagine alternatives to social incidents. They cannot predict a normal course of action according to social norms. For example, going to a wedding reception of a newly married couple may baffle them.

• Difficulty with Social Interaction: It is their inability to communicate that hampers their ability to maintain friendships. They might be confused at the way other people behave, because they are unable to understand social ways of conduct. They may lose interest in people and appear aloof most of the time. They are often mistaken as ignorant and vain individuals.

• Difficulty with Social Communication: People with Aspergers often find it difficult to understand others and express themselves. They fail to interpret gestures, facial expressions and change of tone. They are usually at a loss in choosing a topic to speak on, and do not know when to start or stop a conversation. They are very literal in what they say and fail to comprehend complex words and phrases, expressions like metaphors and even jokes. The best way to interact with individuals with Aspergers to keep one's sentences short and concise.

Treatment of Aspergers—

There is no cure for this syndrome. However, there are a number of therapies for adults with Aspergers. It should begin with a trained therapist first of all helping the patients to come to terms with their disability. It is important to make such individuals realize that they are just as functional as others, and that they could minimize the drawbacks of their disabilities with certain therapies.

While some may be overjoyed as they start to understand that it was not their fault if they did not understand how the world around them worked, there are those that simply abandon further treatment. It is important to make individuals with Aspergers feel confident about themselves, so that they respond positively to further course of treatment. This can be done through counseling. After that cognitive behavioral therapy sessions could be used successfully. Social training could also be adopted as it teaches individuals how to behave in different social situations.

==> Living With Aspergers: Help for Couples

Employment Opportunities—

Aptitude in social behavior is required in every aspect of life. Hence, despite their intelligence being average or above average levels, the chances of employment for adults with Aspergers get limited due to their social disabilities. However, there are agencies and services that help such individuals in getting jobs. It is important to remember that Aspergers does not retard one's intellectual development. If only the society is a little patient with their inability to understand social norms, they can fend for themselves as engineers, mathematicians, video game designers or photographers. They should avoid jobs of a receptionist, cashier or waiter as these involve a lot of social interactions.

Aspergers and Adults in Relationship—

Although research into the sexual interests of adults suffering from Aspergers is still in the stage of infancy, the studies have revealed that they have a normal sexual urge as other adults, but their sexual codes may not be as mature as expected of their age. Hence, inappropriate sexual behavior can be expected. Biologically, they are capable of having kids. However, due to their inability to understand people's emotions, they may face some challenges in issues related to married life and parenting. If only the partner understands the symptoms and does not expect the spouse suffering from Aspergers to shoulder equal responsibilities of the family, married life could still be carried out on near-normal levels.

Life is like a complex puzzle for adults with Aspergers at every step. Matters become worse for them as most of us can't recognize Aspergers in adults. If you know that a person is suffering from this syndrome, be patient with him. With time you will be able to see why his behavior that seems inappropriate to you, is the only right way for him to react.

==> Living With Aspergers: Help for Couples

BEST COMMENT:

Thank you Mark. I have been reading about Asperger's refreshing my memory ever since I started wondering if my love has it. He didn't come out and say it until the night I told him about the positive pregnancy test. I asked him for genetic information to tell the obstetrician's office when I went to my first pre-natal appointment. He talked about heart disease, anxiety, and 'mental health issues'. I said, "Tell me about Asperger's" and he told me he has it. He had mentioned things like being on the borderline of having a mental illness but not requiring medication. 

He had asked me things like, 'Would you ever leave someone for being sick?" I had told him things like the labels don't really matter to me. I like the person you are. And that's true. I have an MA in child development and worked as a Developmental Specialist with toddlers with special needs in an early intervention program at a non-profit. I had some kids in the program that may one day have been diagnosed with Asperger's. They were only 2.5 when I knew them, too young for a diagnosis. Whenever he and I struggle, I go online and read more about Asperger's. That's how I found your e-book and you.

Thank you very much! I am a very patient person and I know that I am not exactly typical either. I have highly emotion-based so I think it unlikely that I have Asperger's..but I know that I have characteristics that can be labeled non-typical. And in many ways, I feel like I have no trouble relating to my boyfriend and what he's feeling. I can empathize and I work very hard to see it from his altered perspective. Your e-book really helped me build on my knowledge of the ways in which his perspective is altered.

Many Thanks Mark :)