Asperger's syndrome symptoms (official)

A person is not required to have every symptom listed here to have Asperger's syndrome; and the diagnostic criteria is not mentioned. If you have any questions or thoughts, then you are very welcome to create a new topic in the forum to discuss them. You can also send a private message to me for further advice/help.

Kevin (Chucky)


Social communication and understanding

- Difficulties understanding gestures, body language, and facial expressions.

- Difficulties making eye contact.

- Repetitive speech.

- Difficulties expressing themselves especially when talking about emotions.

- Anxiety in social situations.

- Lack of awareness on what is socially appropriate and thus have difficulty choosing topics to talk about.

- Lack of motivation to be social because of difficulties in communicating. Therefore they may not have many friends.

- Difficulties in group situations, such as going to the pub with a group of friends.

- Finding small talk and chatting very difficult.

- Problems understanding double meanings. For example, not knowing when people are teasing you.

- Taking what people say very literally.

Imagination

- An obsession with rigid routines and distress if routines are disrupted.

- Problems with making plans for the future and having difficulties organising their life.

- Problems with sequencing tasks, such that preparing to go out can be difficult.

Secondary / Indirect symptoms

- Obsessive compulsive behaviours, often severe enough to be diagnosed as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

- Obsessive interests in just one topic. For example, they might have one subject about which they are extremely knowledgeable in.

- Phobias: Sometimes people with AS are described as having a social phobia but they may also be affected by other common fears such as claustrophobia and agoraphobia.

- Acute anxiety, which can lead to panic attacks.

- Depression and social isolation (This is especially common among adults).

- Clumsiness, often linked to a condition known as Dyspraxia. This includes difficulties with fine motor co-ordination such as difficulties writing neatly as well as problems with gross motor co-ordination such as ungainly movements, tripping, and falling a lot.

How to identify if a person has Asperger Syndrome?

* Another major criterion to identify Asperger syndrome is the patient's limited repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, likes, and activities.

* Patients have encompassing obsession with stereotyped and restricted patterns of interests that is abnormal in intensity and/ or in focus.

* They also have stereotyped and repetitive motor mannerisms like hand or finger twisting and flapping and whole body complex movements.

* They also have persistent obsession with parts of objects and are apparently adherent to specific, non-functional routines.

* The Disorder also causes clinically major impairment in the community, in work and in other important areas of functioning. However, there is no delay in language of children with asperger syndrome. In example, two year olds use single words to communicate while 3 year-old use communicative phrases.

* There is also no setback in the progress of self-help abilities, adaptive behavior, and curiosity about the surroundings in childhood.

These criteria sounds like there's a significant difference in diagnosis between Asperger syndrome and High-functioning Autism, but the truth is, in the words of Asperger syndrome expert Dr. Tony Attwood, "the difference between them is mostly in the spelling."