Asperger's Syndrome, or AS, is one of a group of developmental disabilities called autism spectrum disorders. It's named after Viennese pediatrician Hans Asperger, who first noticed the behavior patterns, primarily in boys, in the 1940s. More than 400,000 U.S. families are estimated to be affected by AS, according to KidsHealth, a division of the non-profit Nemours Foundation. It's difficult to diagnose, but there are certain symptoms to look for in children.
Social, Language and Cognitive Skills
Kids with Asperger's have different degrees of difficulty interacting with others; some don't know how to be social, and others don't want to. Most people typically use both verbal and non-verbal communication cues, including facial expressions, eye contact, body language, responding appropriately and the ability to take turns in conversation. However, kids with AS don't understand what these cues mean, and may walk out of the room in the middle of a play session. Their memory and vocabulary skills are often above average. However, they tend to view language as simply a way to give out information and facts, rather than share feelings and thoughts. Because of that, they make take things literally, their voices may lack variations in pitch or rhythm and they might sound like they're robotically reading a script from TV, instead of speaking from the heart. They also have trouble empathizing with others and have a tendency to blurt things out without considering how it could hurt somebody else's feelings.
Motor and Sensory Skills
Some children with Asperger's have problems with coordination of their fine- and gross-motor skills, both with completing a task and planning out how to do it. For instance, they might be clumsy, move awkwardly or have challenges with handwriting, throwing or catching a ball, or learning how to ride a bike. Other kids with AS have issues with their senses---either one or all of sight, hearing, smell, touch or taste. Often an AS child will perceive a sensation as being much more intense than it is, or hardly react to it at all. You might see him covering his ears even if you don't hear anything, shielding his eyes from a light you can't see or wearing only certain types of clothes that feel a certain way.
Rigidity
Most young kids like things to go according to plan, but a child with Asperger's is so anxious that he tries to stay in control through rigidly structured routines and is obsessive or repetitive about things he says and does. He hates change and has only a few interests that dominate his life. He might even create his own rules of life that don't mesh up well with society as a whole. The child with AS tends to see things in absolutes---black and white, rather than a vast range of shades of gray---which affects his ability to solve problems, plan things mentally, control impulses, stay focused, be imaginative or be flexible with thoughts and actions.
