Aspergers....How do you know?

I think it is important to go with your gut. You have a feeling that there is an issue there. So I think you do need to look into it. My daughter is 5, almost 6, and has aspergers. There are so many symptoms of it and every child with Aspergers experiences things a little different. Some have several of the characteristics of the disorder and some only a few. My daughter is sensitive to the senses. For example, she still has to plug her ears when she flushes the toilet because it is too loud for her. She is also overly sensitive to being hot. If she heats up a bit, she gets very upset and anxious and immediately begins trying rip her shoes off to cool down. Kids with Aspergers tend to respond best with a routine as well. If the routine changes it causes great frustrations and possible meltdowns. I could go on and on, but I think you should make an appointment with a behavioral pediatrician and go from there. I actually got the most help from my school district of all places. I've found that at age 5, doctors are really hesitant to even attempt to suggest there is any issue due to the fact that they are so young and still developing. The flip side of that, is the earlier you catch the problem the better it is for your child to learn to cope with any issues he has to deal with. Anyway, I hope you are able to take something from this :). Good Luck to you and your wonderful son!

Repeating oneself or parroting things he hears is called echolalia and it's a warning sign of Autism. I happen to be a parent of a child with Autism as well as a teacher and I can usually pick other Autistic kids out of a crowd immediately. Your son definitely has a good number of symptoms but without observing him I can't tell you much. I suggest that you take him to see his pediatrician, express your concerns and ask for a referral to a neurologist. At that point, you're likely to be reffered for a psychiatric evaluation for him at which time a diagnosis can be made. The bottom line, though, is that if you think something's up, chances are you're right and at five years old the time to find out if your suspicions are correct is now before he winds up in school in a situation he can't emotionally handle. If he has Autism, chances are he'd qualify for an IEP (Individual Education Plan) and, as experience has shown me, that could have a very positive effect on his development and academic achievement. Most people with Aspergers or other high-functioning forms of Autism eventually transition into typical classroom settings and learn good enough social skills to form meaningful relationships and interact well with teachers and other authority figures. The worst thing you can do is nothing. Don't let fear rob your son of the help he may need. Go solicit some answers and roll with them when you get them and your son will be fine.

It takes a professional to diagnose whether your child is aspergers or not. however if your child suffers from isolation does not like to mix with other children and prefers adult company, it might be yes. if he is keen in maths and ict only and does not share the common interest of other kids his age it might be another sign to worry about. Seek professional help.

My son was diagnosed with austim at the age of 2-1/2 20 years ago. He is now 23. There was so little known about autism, especially Asperger's back then, that I had to rely on my gut and perseverence to get him help. My pediatrician actually discouraged me getting my son evaluated. He said, "My son didn't talk till he was 2-1/2. Don't worry." Through a friend at work whose son was hearing impaired, I found a pre-school program, and through that, got the resources to battle our school district to put him in an out of district school. My son is now a senior in college. When he was 4, he was diagnosed (by one of the premiere experts on autism) with moderate to severe autism and I was told my son would never be able to live on his own. Never ever listen to other people. Get an appointment with the special services department for what is called an intake. He will be evaluated by a child study team. Today's educators (not just special ed teachers) are now trained and instructed on autism and how to recognize its symptoms. My son had the same symptoms as yours--echolalia, little speech, repetitive behavior, structured, routine, plus he was a toe walker--all the classic symptoms and then some. By the way, my son was a very very affectionate child. So who knew?Definitely definitely get him evaluated. He is at a critical age for getting help. There is so much support for the autism population now and more and more information is getting to the mainstream as well. Don't be afraid to go to the experts. Start with your school district and find a pediatric neurologist who specializes in autism. If you need a referral from your pediatrician, demand it. If you don't need one, ask for a list of neurologists he or she can recommend. It is critical your son get the proper evaluation and help. There is so much more then just the education part--there is occupational therapy, speech therapy. He will learn how to cope. And you will be able to help him at home as well. Good luck and keep us posted. Debbie from New Jersey

What you are describing are possible signs of not only Aspergers, but Autism, as well as OCD. They all seem to go hand in hand really. I would definitely look into it further, speak to your pediatrician about a referral for more in depth tests. The routine and perfectionism are signs of OCD. Track his activities, note things that seem to cause more intense signs, diet, and his actions or times when he seems to do things more often than other times. Take this to your pediatrician. Early diagnosis is the key to him leading as much of a "normal" life as possible.

My son is already three years old. He talks words that i can't understand. Earlier when he still two years old, he can utter the words like Mama and Papa. He rarely talks now, if he talks he utter scrambled words. He is very intelligent child. He can understand what you are talking about. He opens our refrigerator on his own. If you said kiss mother, he will kiss your cheeks. He loves watching running cars or any vehicles moving. He has this fascination wheels of toy cars. He is perfectionist. I know it's too early to worry but I'm a little bit scared.