Symptoms That Those With Asperger's Syndrome Exhibit

There are quite a few symptoms that are possible for a person with Asperger's Syndrome to have; the one that stands out is that the person has extreme difficulty in social situations. The range of symptoms can be mild to severe; they can have few symptoms or lots of symptoms. The range of severity and amount of symptoms means that no two children or no two adults with Asperger's Syndrome will be the same.

During childhood there can be different symptoms because as the child grows into childhood the Asperger's Syndrome will change. Preschool is when the first symptoms of Asperger's Syndrome are noticed. A child may show signs of not being able to "read others' body language", or they are not able to take turns talking. They may have a great deal of difficulty accepting changes in routine. They may also appear to be empathetic towards the feelings of others. Preschool teachers may pick-up on the fact that the child may not have any differences in speech tone (monotone), may not vary in pitch. The child may not be able to understand the meaning of a joke because they take everything literally. The child with Asperger's Syndrome may have a vocabulary that seems advanced for his or her age. The child may also be observed avoiding eye contact, may use unusual facial expressions or body postures and hand gestures such as flapping. The child may become obsessed with a certain topic or subject starting in preschool or kindergarten such as a preoccupation with jigsaw puzzles, or drawing detailed pictures. A child with Asperger's Syndrome will often times verbalize internal thoughts or have one-sided conversations. A child with Asperger's Syndrome usually has a high sensitivity to loud noises, bright lights, strong tastes and different textures. The child is usually normal to highly intelligent and has an advanced command of vocabulary.

During the teen years when social skills are more noticeable the teen with Asperger's Syndrome may suffer an inability to read the non-verbal communication of peers, which will make participating in social events such as dances difficult. The teen with Asperger's Syndrome will feel different from others in a keener fashion.

People with Asperger's syndrome are often accused of being eccentric or odd. They have repetitive behaviors such as hand wringing, hand flapping or finger twisting. They are often preoccupied with certain behaviors or rituals such as getting dressed in a particular order or eating food in a particular order. People with Asperger's syndrome often have difficulty meeting the gaze of others especially during introductions, or making eye contact when speaking with others. They have trouble being able to "read" the body language of others such as facial expressions or hand gestures. When observing someone with Asperger's Syndrome you may notice that they appear to be awkward or clumsy. They may also be very talented or skilled in a particular field such as math or music.