Introduction
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 1 in 100 children is diagnosed with ASD. This disorder can cause social and communication skills challenges, so knowing how to spot the signs in your child is essential. Typically, severe forms of autism are detected and diagnosed in toddlers or before kids are two years old. In contrast, milder forms are diagnosed later when developmental delays become apparent at school (Webb et al., 2009).
The problems of AS children represent a specific category in the education system. Such children are often perceived by their classmates as eccentric and weird, and their poor social skills lead to other children bullying them, which might lead to depression and school phobia (Waldron et al., 1975). Clumsiness and obsessive, highly specialized interests complement their “strange” appearance (Weimer et al., 2001). Although AS children differ, they often do not understand human relationships and social conventions; many of them are naive and often lack basic common sense. Frequently, children request their parents to enroll them in homeschooling because of poor relationships with their classmates and teachers (McPherson, D. 2023).
As an alternative to homeschooling, such children are recommended to attend schools for students with special education needs (SEN). In Israel, one of chains of such schools is Beit Ekstein, one of my places of work. In the schools of aforementioned chain, there are no more than eight students are placed in each class, and teachers, assistants, educational therapists, and psychologists can pay much more attention to each student than in a regular school and try to meet their needs. Furthermore, each child is offered an individual learning program (Beit Ekstein, 2023).
How AS is Diagnosed
The research claims that gene disorders cause ASD. Such genetic mutations influence early brain development, as well as its formation, stabilization, and neurotransmission. Such early neural circuits are associated with autism. "The gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic system plays a crucial role in early neural development." (Warrier et al., 2013, p.3). AS is a sort of ASD as well as classic autism. Nevertheless, there are also some significant differences between two conditions. While classic autism can be recognized in babies and toddlers, AS is usually recognized and diagnosed much later (Harris, 2023), (Marks, 2022).
Thus, in preschool age, parents and kindergarten teachers may notice such prerequisites to AS and other ASD disorders as struggling to communicate with peers and difficulties in motor development. For instance, they manifest repetitive behavior, bicycle problems, and clumsiness when playing with a ball or running on stiff legs (Deweerdt, 2020). Furthermore, there are different perceptions of external stimuli, such as increased sensitivity to sounds or smells and selectivity in food (Morris, 2008). The average age of diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome in children is 7-8 years. Preschoolers are still rarely diagnosed, and earlier diagnosis and appropriate intervention are started, fewer problems there are in future (Marks, 2022).
AS symptoms differently depend on the severity of the disorder, but the most common ones include difficulty with verbal and nonverbal communication, problems with social interactions, and repetitive or ritualistic behaviors (Deweerdt, 2020), (Webb et al., 2009).
Furthermore, AS is often accompanied by ADHD and other learning difficulties, such as dyslexia, or dysgraphia (Perritano, 2022), (Williams, 2001). ASD covers a range of symptoms, from mild to severe. Some individuals with high-functioning autism experience milder challenges, such AS, while others with severe impairments may experience difficulties with spoken language that interfere with their daily lives (Rudy, 2023).
Testing for Asperger's involves a team of medical and psychological specialists who evaluate a child's development, skills, and symptoms when interacting with others. They may also assess the child's language, intellectual abilities, and overall health. Testing tools help characterize the child's personality, behavior, math, and language skills, IQ, and mental health, and some tests overlap with those for classic autism (Marks, 2022). Very often, AS children have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), mood swings such as flashes of joy and sadness, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and anxiety (Nationwide Children's Hospital, 2023). Furthermore, gifted people might also have AS (Little, 2002).
AS Children among their Peers
Usually, problems begin to arise when the child is among peers. They cannot make eye contact, do not understand jokes, struggle to respond to people in conversation, or cannot read their body language (Ellis, 2023). From an early age, children with AS may notice that they have poorer interpersonal skills, have difficulty playing with other children, and tend to impose their will on others. For this reason, they are rejected from an early age and are not understood by their peers. "Typically viewed as eccentric and peculiar by classmates, their inept social skills often cause them to be made victims of scapegoating." (Williams, 2001, p.287).
AS is a condition that affects communication, imagination, and relationship building, which can lead to rigid behavior and thinking patterns (Deweerdt, 2020). AS children usually show better age-appropriate speech development, have a greater interest in the world around them, and demonstrate proper cognitive development. This makes it harder to detect AS in young children as they may not stand out from their peers (Ellis, 2023).
Some communication-related symptoms of AS include using complex vocabulary, difficulty understanding jokes and metaphors, problems with eye contact, facial expressions, gestures, and body language that differ from other children (Nationwide Children's Hospital, 2023). Additional signs may include a preference for playing with real objects rather than engaging in role-playing, having narrow and unusual interests, getting angry when daily activities do not go according to pattern, and reacting with increased sensitivity or poor reaction to various stimuli (Morris, 2008).