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Asperger's Syndrome Warning Signs

What to take into account when we have to teach a student diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome?
We as teachers need to know certain typical ways in which these kids behave. Following some
medical studies we can have a better understanding on the one hand of how to treat them, and on
the other hand of how to plan our lessons with different strategies to maximize the participation of
all our students.
The following are some common misdiagnoses and valuable questions parents of these kids
should pay attention to, these will be useful for teachers as well.
According to medical studies, no two children with Aspergers Syndrome are alike. Because its on
a spectrum, there are subtle differences between each case, making diagnosis difficult, and
misdiagnosis worryingly common. Early intervention is the number one way to help kids function,
so its important that parents stay informed about key indicators.
Keep in mind, however, a child who has some of the red flags mentioned doesn't necessarily have
Aspergers. Diagnosis is a job for a doctor; these are some guidelines for parents to be aware of.
Here are five questions parents should ask themselves:
1. How does my child play with other kids?
Doctors now say this is the fundamental question when dealing with a child who may have a
developmental disorder.
Pretend play is not possible for kids with Aspergers. Abstract and creative thinking do not come
naturally to them. So instead of imagining a play scene, a child with Aspergers will often quote
lines from movies, books or TV shows, usually verbatim. Many parents mistake the play-acting for
rich pretend play because they hear the extensive vocabulary and the intricate dialogue.
Parents may also misunderstand their childs play at home, which is very different than on the
playground. They tend to assume that if their child plays fine at home, then he must play fine with
the other kids too. But adults tend to follow their own kids, and will cater to their needs during
play.
Try to imagine playing with them like a 5-year-old, not like an adult, advises Dr. Laurie LeventhalBelfer[1], licensed psychologist, and see how things go when you want to change things in their
play.
Test your childs reaction to change in play by bringing in a new character to the scene, or tell him
you want to play with different toys. This will be very difficult for children with Aspergers. They are
accustomed to routine, and often melt down in the face of change.
Common Misdiagnosis: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
The perfectionist characteristic is very common in Aspergers children. Many of their
mannerisms are similar to those of OCD, and can be seen during play, for instance, when a child
always lines up his blocks in alphabetical order or largest to smallest.
2. What kind of conversations does my child have?
Verbal dialogue is another key indicator. Children with Aspergers tend to have one-sided
conversations with their peers. The conversation will either be led solely by the Aspergers child,
or it will end abruptly.
We have children who, all they want to talk about is their area of interest, explains Dr. Alice
Locke Chezar, MFT, ATR, family therapist, and they know it inside out and backwards. It could be

science, or cars, or the year before that it could have been dinosaurs. He could go on for 15
minutes in great detail.
Aspergers causes children to speak with only concrete, intellectual vocabulary about topics that
theyve learned. Small talk remains a foreign concept to Aspergers kids. They must work with
speech and language pathologists, and are essentially trained how to have normal, everyday
conversation.
Common Misdiagnosis: Speech Delays
In fact, this characteristic is common between almost all the developmental disorders. But
Aspergers kids do not have typical speech delay; they simply do not see the need to converse or
interact with other people.
3. Does my child seem academically gifted?
Many parents of kids with Aspergers initially think their child is gifted or brilliant, without realizing
that there may be something else going on.
Having a specific area of interest is one of the most common characteristics of Aspergers.
Children will only become talkative when their area of interest is brought up, usually with adults.
These children tend to have very high IQs, and excel in math and sciencethe concrete, nonabstract subjects.
When Leventhal-Belfer first started working with Aspergers kids, she had a 4-year-old say, Dr.
Laurie did you get stock today? The market is going up. Was this small child well versed in the
stock market? No. Turns out, his father was a stockbroker. He could easily repeat things hed
overheard his father saying.
Common Misdiagnosis: No diagnosis.
Because Aspergers children have great memory and are hyper-focused, they tend to excel in
school, and many of them fall between the cracks because their main struggle is with social
interaction.
4. Can my child tolerate losing?
Many people associate violence and tantrums with Autism, and while children with Aspergers do
have meltdowns, they tend to be sweet, loving kids on an everyday basis. The majority of their
temper tantrums occur because of change. If someone is not playing by the rules in a game, or if
someone disagrees with the child on their topic of interest, a serious eruption could occur.
Often these kids have tremendous meltdowns, which all kids do to some extent, says LeventhalBelfer, but these go on for quite awhile, to the extent that parents often allow their child, a fiveyear-old, to win.
To avoid a tantrum, many parents will play by their childs rules. But that doesnt help the child
cope in the real world. For example, kids with Aspergers tend to be overly critical of others, and
may carry these habits into adulthood if they do not get the intervention and training to help them
deal with change.
Common Misdiagnosis: Anxiety.
Change will always bring about anxiety in children with Aspergers, but the anxiety is not the root
of the problem.
5. Do they make eye contact while talking?
This is one of the earliest warning flags for both Autism and Aspergers.

If you look at a baby, and you look into their eyes, they follow you, explains Leventhal-Belfer,
So you have social dances, social interactions since birth.
This idea of eye contact is not natural to kids with Aspergers. Even the small, subtle gestures of
communication, such as a nod or a smile during conversation have to be learned.
Common Misdiagnosis: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
When they are off in their own world, looking at the plants or the ceiling, they seem distracted.
Often they fidget, like ADHD kids, but the fidgeting with Aspergers is a result of change or a new
environment.
I hope this article is beneficial for you as a teacher to recognize the signs of children with
Asperger's Syndrome and be alert to them. This should be a warning sign for you to carefully plan
your classes using varied strategies to reach all your students. Likewise, noticing these signs
should help you make sound and careful interactive decisions in your classes.
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[1] Laurie Leventhal-Belfer, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in taking a
developmental perspective in understanding children and their families as they grapple with daily
stresses, medical and mental health issues, challenges adapting to school or making friends.

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