We love our kids no matter how annoying and irritating they can be. But we all know that at the end of the day, they still bring us immeasurable joy. But what if your child is somewhat different? What your child displays behavior that is out of the ordinary?

As a parent, it is heartbreaking to know that your child might be special. You are worried for him because he might not survive the real world when he grows up. That is why as early as possible a parent should have the child diagnosed so as to be given a proper treatment early. The parents should be observant on the way their child behaves and if there is something that seems unusual or odd about the child’s behavior, they should consult with their pediatrician. This is not to say that the parents should be paranoid about anything that the child does. Being observant is different from being paranoid.

One of the disorders that parents should concern themselves about is the Asperger syndrome. Asperger syndrome belongs to a group of conditions called autism spectrum disorders. Autism is also included in this spectrum for this group refers to developmental disabilities and other disorders that display similar characteristics.

Symptoms in spectrum disorders, such as Asperger and autism, can appear in different combinations. The degree of severity in every diagnosed patient is different. Let us say that two kids are diagnosed with the same disorder but their skills and abilities will differ. Because of this, they physicians have developed general terms to describe children who have similar behaviors within the spectrum. Some of these terms are “low-functioning,” “high-functioning,” “autistic tendencies,” and “pervasive developmental disorder”. Children who have been diagnosed with Asperger syndrome have a lot of symptoms in common with “high-functioning autism”.

However, it is difficult to differentiate Asperger from other behavioral problems and it is not uncommon for them to be diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or ADHD at first before finally diagnosing it as Asperger syndrome. Therefore, it is best to let a health professional evaluate the symptoms.

These symptoms are:

Minimal social interactions – They have difficulty in fostering or developing friendships but they do not shy away from people unlike those children diagnosed with autism.

Most conversations are about self than others – When a child with Asperger approaches someone, tendency is that child will talk more usually about a certain topic and will voice out his or her personal opinions disregarding the other person.

Repetitive speech – Children with Asperger tend to have scripted or robotic speech.

Does not have “common sense”

Have pdifficulties with math, writing skills or reading

Has obsession with complex topics – Children with Asperger are usually interested in anything that has patterns. They sometimes make a pattern of their own, too. Some are inclined to music

Cognitive abilities – nonverbal cognitive abilities are average to below average but verbal cognitive abilities are mostly average to above average

Behaviors – Children with Asperger will display some odd behaviors or mannerisms. These will be labeled weird by some people

When these signs are present, bring your child to your doctor so he can be diagnosed properly and can be provided with the proper care and guidance.

Author Bio: Brent McNutt enjoys writing for Uniformhaven.com which sells baby phat scrubs and landau shoes as well as a host of additional products.

Category: Family Concerns
Keywords: asperger syndrome,cognitive abilities,autism