What is Asperger's Syndrome?
After meeting a person with Asperger's syndrome, you are bound to notice two things right away.
After meeting a person with Asperger's syndrome, you are bound to notice two things right away. One—they are just as smart as other people, but they have difficulty with social skills. Two—they tend to focus obsessively on a single topic or do a single action repeatedly.
Earlier, Asperger's syndrome was treated as a separate condition. However, as per the DSM-5(Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), this syndrome is now a part of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Though the group shares some symptoms, the term Asperger's is still widely in use.
Doctors refer to this condition as the "high-functioning" type of autism spectrum disorder. The symptoms in Asperger's are less in severity than in other kinds of ASD.
Symptoms
The symptoms are usually found in the early stages of life. If you are a parent of a child who has Asperger's, you will notice that your child has difficulty in making eye contact. You might also notice that your child is awkward in social situations and has a problem responding or talking to people.
People suffering from Asperger's will also miss social cues that are obvious to other people, such as facial expressions or body language. For example, they might not realize that when someone scowls and huffs, they are angry.
They may also talk in a flat and monotonous tone. They will also have difficulty showing emotions. For example, they might not smile when happy or even laugh when they hear a joke.
Another symptom to look out for is that the child will continuously talk about themselves or constantly talk about a particular subject of their interest. They might also be repetitive, especially if it's a topic they are interested in, including repeating single movements repeatedly.
Also, they might not like change. For example, they may like to have the same food repeatedly or may have difficulty moving from one class to another on a school day.
If you begin to notice any of the above symptoms in your child, see your pediatrician. They will refer you to a mental health expert who specializes in ASD.
Psychologist: To get your child's emotional and behavioral problems diagnosed and treated.
Pediatric Neurologist: To get your child's brain conditions treated, if needed.
Psychiatrist: To get your child's mental health conditions treated with medication.
Developmental Pediatrician: To get your child's language, speech, and other developmental issues treated.
Asperger's syndrome is a condition that is best treated with a team approach. You might have to see more than a single doctor for the treatment of your child.
Treatment
With every child being different, there is no single treatment plan that will fit all the children. So, there are multiple approaches that one can take until they find the best one. Treatments usually include—
When a child with Asperger's gets the right treatment, it becomes easy for them to control communication and social challenges. With this support, they will do well in school and then move on to succeed in life.
Resources
As kids are different and so are their needs, below you can find a curated list of resources that might help in educating and helping kids with special needs.