Explaining Aspergers Syndrome to a Child

What is Asperger syndrome?

Children with Asperger syndrome can think well and learn about lots of things as easily as other children, but they have problems:

• when they try to communicate with others
• with social skills
• with their behaviour.

Asperger syndrome is sometimes called an 'Autism spectrum disorder' because in some ways it is a bit like autism.

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People all the time ask me, "Well exactly are the signs of Aspergers Syndrome?"

Here is a basic list.

Signs and symptoms

A "syndrome" is a pattern of signs and symptoms that doctors can see in many different people. Here is a list of symptoms of Asperger Syndrome. Not every person with Asperger Syndrome has every symptom.

People with Asperger Syndrome:

• may be sensitive to touch or loud noise
• may be clumsy when walking and/or playing sports
• may have trouble understanding other people's emotions.
• may have trouble recognizing facial expressions.
• may have trouble understanding when someone is joking or using language that is not accurate in meaning.
• may often have a loud voice, a very quiet voice, or a voice that does not express emotion (a "monotonous" voice)
• often do not like changes in school, work, and home life routines
• may learn to speak very early or very late
• often learn to read very early or very late
• may have trouble making friends
• may have trouble understanding what other people are thinking
• are often bullied in school
• as children, might look shorter and younger than the average for their age
• often have extremely good memory
• often have a strong interest or hobby such as a computer game, sport statistics, or a TV show
• may have difficulty understanding or not be interested in pretend play
• may move in repetitive ways