Post by laurapalmer on Jun 13, 2006 19:36:35 GMT -5
Signs and Symptoms
Because the symptoms of AS are often hard to differentiate from other behavioral problems, it's best to let your child's 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 the diagnosis of AS is made later on.
The following are a number of signs and symptoms that 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 above-average verbal cognitive abilities
average to below-average nonverbal cognitive abilities
awkward movements
odd behaviors or mannerisms
It's important to note that, unlike children with autism, children with AS may 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 may be very literal, and they may 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 individuals with AS may have problems with attention span, problems with organization, and skills that seem well developed in some areas and lacking in others, they usually have average and sometimes above average intelligence.
Because the symptoms of AS are often hard to differentiate from other behavioral problems, it's best to let your child's 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 the diagnosis of AS is made later on.
The following are a number of signs and symptoms that 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 above-average verbal cognitive abilities
average to below-average nonverbal cognitive abilities
awkward movements
odd behaviors or mannerisms
It's important to note that, unlike children with autism, children with AS may 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 may be very literal, and they may 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 individuals with AS may have problems with attention span, problems with organization, and skills that seem well developed in some areas and lacking in others, they usually have average and sometimes above average intelligence.
