Exams Tests and Places to Get Help For Those With Asperger's Syndrome

Making the diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome is difficult and takes the input of doctors, teachers, parents and other caregivers in order to make the diagnosis. There are specific criteria that need to be met in order to make the diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome including poor social interaction, unusual behavior, obsessive interests, and activities, normal language development, and normal self-help skills and curiosity about the surrounding environment.

The doctor will take a medical history and ask questions regarding the child's development including his or her motor development, language development, and any special interests that the child has expressed. Social interactions will be noted and a history of the pregnancy and any family medical history or medical conditions will also be ascertained.

Exams and tests will be performed to help determine if Asperger's syndrome is the correct diagnosis for your child.

Testing will probably include a Psychological Assessment, a communication assessment, and a psychiatric examination. The psychological assessment will look at intellectual function, learning style and intelligence quotient (IQ) as well as an assessment of motor skills. Personality assessment tests may also be performed. The communication assessment involves speech and formal language evaluations where the child will be tested to see how well they understand the use of language and how to communicate ideas. The child will also be tested regarding the ability to understand non-verbal communication and nonliteral language skills, such as humor or metaphor. The child's voice regarding volume, stress, and pitch will be evaluated. The psychiatric examination will include the child's family, peer relationships, reactions to new encounters and the ability to understand and respond to the feelings of others, and also the ability to interpret indirect communication such as sarcasm or teasing. Your child may be observed at home and at school. Signs of conditions such as anxiety and depression will be watched for during observations. Medical personnel will be looking for signs of compliance with the criteria set for Asperger's Syndrome in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which is a publication of the American Psychiatric Association and used to be a standard for diagnosing Asperger's Syndrome and other Mental Disorders.

Many times a child is misdiagnosed with other conditions prior to be correctly diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome. Like most diseases and conditions it is often necessary to rule out other conditions and disorders when making a determination of a diagnosis. It is often a team effort that involves doctors, parents, teachers, psychiatrists, and others who have observed the behavior and communicative abilities of the child.

Places to get help for those with Asperger’s Syndrome:

There are many resources available to gather information concerning Asperger's Syndrome online and offline.

Online you can find information by going to Aspergerinfo.com or to the Online Asperger Syndrome Information and Support Website located at:

http://www.udel.edu/bkirby/asperger/

Other organizations that can give support and information about Asperger's Syndrome are:

Global and Regional Asperger Syndrome Partnership located in New York, USA and also online at:

http://www.grasp.org/

Families of Adults Afflicted with Asperger's Syndrome (FAAAS) located in Centerville, MA USA and on the Web at:

http://www.faaas.org/

MAAP Services for Autism and Asperger Syndrome located in Crown Point Indiana and on the Web at:

http://www.maapservices.org