Asperger Syndrome

Asperger syndrome (also known as asperger's syndrome, AS, or asperger's disorder) shares quite a few characteristics with other pervasive developmental disorders (PDD). There are patterns in which asperger's syndrome characteristics can become more apparent as the diagnosis compared to other pervasive developmental disorders (PDD). A child's use of language can provide insight whether a child has asperger syndrome. Definition of the disorder revolves around one of the most recognizable asperger's syndrome symptoms - an advanced vocabulary. However, even with this strong vocabulary, they tend to use language literally and have trouble understanding figurative language. Hans Asperger, the pioneer in trying to understand the disorder, called some of the children "little professors" because of this unexpected use of advanced intellectual language.

Other asperger's syndrome characteristics can include one-sided verbosity, clumsy physical balance and a lack of demonstrated empathy. Unlike other disorders of the autism spectrum, people with asperger syndrome are not usually withdrawn around others. When approaching others, they may engage in a one-sided dialog while not taking the listener's reactions or feelings into consideration. Important to clarify, that a child can show one or more of the typical asperger's syndrome symptoms, but not have the disorder. It is crucial to look at the pattern of behavior rather than single out characteristics.

It is still somewhat unclear what factors make someone susceptible to getting asperger syndrome. Cause has linked it to be more genetic than environmental, but studies have not been entirely conclusive. Children are most commonly diagnosed with this disorder between the ages of four to eleven.

A large hurdle for children with asperger syndrome is social interaction. We understand social relationships are essential in a child's development so our clinicians work daily with kids on making good social connections. It's a learning process that everyone needs to be a part of and our staff will come up with a plan on the best way to teach everyone. Some children with asperger syndrome do need attention to certain aspects of their life; therefore we do not have one treatment plan for every child. We learn about your child's specific skill levels and behavior challenges and recommend an individual treatment plan based on our assessment. The plan remains very fluid throughout the process so we can adjust strategies if you'd like to see a change in your child's progression. We want you and your child to be comfortable with us as we strive to provide the best possible behavior treatment.