Asperger’s Syndrome

Information taken from Autism Speaks

WHAT IS ASPERGER’S SYNDROME? 

Asperger’s syndrome falls under autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and can sometimes be referred to as “high functioning autism” as it is considered to be on the high end of the autism spectrum.  Children who have Asperger’s have difficulties with social communication and interaction and may also have repetitive and stereotypical behaviors.  Children with Asperger’s may not have severe delays as compared to children who have other forms of ASD.    

WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF ASPERGER’S SYNDROME?

Signs of Asperger’s Syndrome: 

  • Limited or inappropriate social interaction
  • Repetitive speech
  • Difficulty with nonverbal communication (i.e., gestures, facial expressions, etc.)
  • Lack of eye contact
  • Difficulty reciprocating conversation
  • Inability to understand social or emotional problems
  • Difficulty understanding figurative speech or nonliteral phrases (i.e., “It’s raining cats and dogs”)
  • Abnormal focus on specific objects (i.e., cars, legos, etc)
  • Inflexibility with routines or schedules
  • One-sided conversations

It should be noted that there are no significant delays in language development or cognitive development.  Furthermore, children who have Asperger’s may even have above average language skills. 

WHAT CAUSES ASPERGER’S SYNDROME?

Studies have found that there is no one cause of Asperger’s; however there are a few possible causes which include the following:

  • Genetic problems
  • Severe infections that affect the brain
  • Exposure to toxins or illness during pregnancy.

OUR APPROACH AT KEY THERAPIES:

At Key Therapies we develop individualized treatment plans for each child.  For an individual with Asperger’s we will focus on social interaction and communication.  Our goal is to improve your child’s ability to interact with others.  We may utilize therapy techniques such as Social Thinking by Michelle Garcia Winner to help teach social rules and conversation skills. 

To Top