Exams Tests and Places to Get Help For Those
With Asperger's Syndrome
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.
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.
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Individuals with Asperger Syndrome to not have any significant delays in language development in fact typically score high in vocabulary but usually fall short when it comes to expression of language and often talk in monotones or have off speech patterns. They may speak inappropriately such as swearing in front of the class or boss, speaking in inappropriate manner in front of an authority figure.
Most individuals with Asperger Syndrome have a "pet habit" or subject that they follow obsessively.
Autism Support Group
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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
Asperger's Syndrome
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