Signs and Symptoms of Asperger Syndrome

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) before a diagnosis of AS is made later.

A child with AS might have these signs and symptoms:

• 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. 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.