March 3, 2010, was the world premiere of the series Parenthood. This series gives the viewer a glimpse in the lives of one family with four completely different sets of parents. They include the high powered attorney, who spends more time at the office than with her husband and daughter, the single mother of two teenage children, the party animal brother, who has very little responsibility in his life, and lastly, the hard working parents of a school age son. Later in the episode , these parents learn that their only son has Asperger’s Disorder. Having an older sister who works with children and this disorder on a day to day basis, I saw this post as a great opportunity to help educate our readers.
WHAT IS ASPERGER’S DISORDER?
In simple English, Asperger’s Disorder is a milder case of Autism. (www.autism-society.org) Asperger’s Disorder was first described in the 1940s by Viennese pediatrician Hans Asperger who observed autistic-like behaviors and difficulties with social and communication skills in boys who had normal intelligence and language development. Many professionals felt Asperger’s Disorder was simply a milder form of autism and used the term “high-functioning autism” to describe these individuals. Professor Uta Frith, with the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience of University College London and author of Autism and Asperger Syndrome, describes individuals with Asperger’s Disorder as “having a dash of Autism.” Asperger’s Disorder was added to the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV)in 1994 as a separate disorder from autism. However, there are still many professionals who consider Asperger’s Disorder a less severe form of autism.
CHARACTERISTICS (www.KidsHealth.com) Many kids are diagnosed after age 3, with most diagnosed between the ages of 5 and 9. AS is characterized by poor social interactions, obsessions, odd speech patterns, and other peculiar mannerisms. Kids with AS often have few facial expressions and have difficulty reading the body language of others; they might engage in obsessive routines and display an unusual sensitivity to sensory stimuli. For example, they may be bothered by a light that no one else notices; they may cover their ears to block out sounds in the environment; or they might prefer to wear clothing made only of a certain material.
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
Because the symptoms of AS are often hard to differentiate from other behavioral problems, it’s best to let a doctor or other health professional evaluate your child’s symptoms. It’s not uncommon for a child to be diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
These signs and symptoms might be present in a child with AS:
- inappropriate or minimal social interactions
- conversations almost always revolving around self rather than others
- “scripted,” “robotic,” or repetitive speech
- lack of “common sense”
- problems with reading, math, or writing skills
- obsession with complex topics such as patterns or music
- average to below-average nonverbal cognitive abilities, though verbal cognitive abilities are usually average to above-average
- awkward movements
- odd behaviors or mannerisms
It’s important to note that, unlike kids with autism, those with AS might show no delays in language development; they usually have good grammatical skills and an advanced vocabulary at an early age. However, they typically do exhibit a language disorder — they might be very literal and have trouble using language in a social context.
Often there are no obvious delays in cognitive development or in age-appropriate self-help skills such as feeding and dressing themselves. Although kids with AS can have problems with attention span and organization, and have skills that seem well developed in some areas and lacking in others, they usually have average and sometimes above-average intelligence.
