During my appointment yesterday with my son's psychiatrist, he mentioned that he was seeing a lot of Asperger characteristics although he wasn't ready to give a diagnosis of ASD.
As you can imagine, I've spent the better part of yesterday and this morning reading about Aspergers in children. While some of the characteristics required in the DSM are spot-on, but some of the major ones are missing or a "maybe" - not a definite yes. The biggest differences I see is that my son is a natural leader, well-liked by his peers, shows empathy, and has a very developed sense of humor that goes beyond wordplay.
For those of you with a child with the diagnosis of ASD, how much of it matched what you observed in your own child and how much didn't? It's a lot to wrap my head around...
I found this list, and after reading it to my college-aged son who lives upstairs next to my 12-year-old, we could both say yes to every one of the characteristics on the
list except the rote memory and blank expression:
Being "in their own world"
Can engage in tasks (sometimes mundane ones) for hours and hours
Can spend hours in the library researching, loves learning and information
Clumsiness
Collects things
Doesn't always recognize faces right away (even close loved ones)
Early in life they often have a speech impediment
Eccentric personality
Excellent rote memory
Flat, or blank expression much of the time
Highly gifted in one or more areas (e.g., math, music, etc.)
Idiosyncratic attachment to inanimate objects
Intense focus on one or two subjects
Likes and dislikes can be very rigid
Limited interests
May have difficulty staying in college despite a high level of intelligence
Non-verbal communication problems
Difficulty reading body language, facial expression and tone
Preoccupied with their own agenda
Repetitive routines or rituals
Sensitivity to the texture of foods
Single-mindedness
Speech and language peculiarities (hyperlexia)
Strong sensitivity to sound, touch, taste, sight, and smell (e.g., fabrics, wont wear certain things, fluorescent lights)
Uncoordinated motor movements
Unusual preoccupations
Word repetition (they may frequently repeat what you've just said)
