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Navigate Life Texas: Resources for kids with disabilities and special needs
Navigate Life Texas: Resources for kids with disabilities and special needs
Welcome to Navigate Life Texas, providing organized and reliable information to families of children with disabilities or special health care needs in Texas. If you want to find services, groups, and events in your area, feel free to click on any of the links at the right.
Asperger syndrome is a mild type of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). These disorders are characterized by problems with communication and social interaction and by unusual, repetitive behaviors. Children with Asperger syndrome usually have normal intelligence and do not have the language problems typical of autism, but have many of the same social interaction and communication problems as autistic children. Although these children typically have strong verbal and grammar skills, they usually have other language problems, such as being too literal and/or having difficulty understanding non-verbal communications, such as body language.
Learn more about Asperger syndrome
Overall, people with Asperger syndrome are capable of functioning in everyday life, but tend to be somewhat socially immature and may be seen by others as odd or eccentric. Adults with Asperger syndrome have trouble demonstrating empathy for others, and social interactions are difficult. The symptoms can wax and wane over time. Although children with Asperger syndrome may 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.
People with Asperger syndrome display behavior, interests, and activities that are restricted and repetitive and may be abnormally intense or focused. Patients typically develop specific routines or rituals and become highly disturbed if their schedules are even slightly changed. Patients may develop very specific interests, such as calendar dates or numbers. Children with Asperger syndrome may become proficient in knowing categories of information, such as baseball statistics or Latin names of flowers. While they are able to memorize things, they have difficulty with abstract concepts. Although these special interests may change from time to time, they typically become more unusual and narrowly focused.
Unlike the severe withdrawal from the rest of the world that is characteristic of autism, patients with Asperger syndrome are isolated because of their poor social skills and narrow interests. They may approach other people but cannot maintain a normal conversation due to inappropriate or eccentric behavior or because they want to talk exclusively about their singular interest.
The lack of demonstrated empathy may be the most dysfunctional aspect of Asperger syndrome. This aspect may result in failure to develop friendships or enjoy spontaneous interests or achievements with others, lack of social or emotional reciprocity, and impaired nonverbal behaviors such as eye contact and facial expression.
People with Asperger syndrome often have limited facial expressions and have difficulty reading the body language of others. They may develop abnormal posture or may walk on their toes. Many move clumsily, have poor coordination, and are unusually sensitive to touch, sound, or light.
People with Asperger syndrome may perform hand movements such as flapping or twisting and may have complex whole-body movements. These are typically repeated in longer bursts and look more voluntary or ritualistic than tics, which are usually faster, less rhythmic, and less symmetrical.
Asperger syndrome affects a person's ability to socialize and communicate effectively with others. Desire for companionship can be complicated by a string of failed social encounters. They usually want to fit in and have interaction with others but simply don't know how. They may be socially awkward, take figures of speech literally, or be unable to understand conventional social rules. They may have limited eye contact, a stiff gaze, and inappropriate facial expressions. They may seem to be unengaged in a conversation and to not understand the use of gestures.
Patients with Asperger syndrome often initiate one-sided, long-winded conversations, without noticing if the listener is listening or trying to change the subject. They have difficulty understanding or empathizing with the feelings of those around them. They have a hard time understanding humor and may appear insensitive. Asperger syndrome patients often speak in a voice that is monotonous, rigid, or unusually fast.
Children with Asperger syndrome want to know everything about their specific topic of interest. Their conversations with others will be about little else and may bore the listener without reaching a logical conclusion. Their expertise, high level of vocabulary, and formal speech patterns make them seem like "little professors."
Asperger syndrome patients may be unaware of others' feelings or be unable to express their own emotions. Some patients may be noticeably anxious or become depressed or frustrated when they are unable to communicate to others.
Most people with Asperger syndrome possess average to above average intelligence. Some people with Asperger syndrome may be considered savants and have exceptional skills, such as in math or art. They may have problems with reading or writing skills but an obsession with complex topics such as patterns or music.
One of the major differences between Asperger syndrome and autism is that there is no speech delay in Asperger syndrome. Children with Asperger syndrome frequently have excellent language skills and an advanced vocabulary at an early age. However, they use this language in different ways. Speech patterns may be unusual, lack inflection, have a rhythmic nature, or may be formal, too loud, jerky, or high pitched. People with Asperger syndrome may not understand irony and humor or the give-and-take nature of conversation.
Although Asperger syndrome patients typically have strong verbal and grammar skills, they usually have other language problems. For example, they may be too literal and may have difficulties understanding non-verbal communications, such as body language.
Children with Asperger syndrome frequently have motor skill delays and may appear clumsy or awkward. They may have poor coordination and may have a stilted or bouncy walk. Many people with Asperger syndrome are highly active in early childhood and then develop anxiety or depression in young adulthood. Asperger syndrome patients often have excellent auditory and visual perception. They may have problems with awareness of body position, balance, walking posture, and finger-thumb apposition. They may not be able to describe their own emotions and may be unusually sensitive to sound, light, touch, texture, taste, smell, pain, temperature, and other stimuli.
Children with Asperger syndrome often have sleep problems, including difficulty in falling asleep, frequent awakenings, and early morning awakenings.