Asperger’s Test or Asperger’s Symptoms?
There are some Asperger’s tests around the internet but many believe that they are not an accurate assessment of Aspergers Syndrome. There is one particular test that it is said if you score 32 or higher when answering the questions that you have Aspergers, this test is not to be used as a diagnosis and in fact most Asperger people will probably tell you that it is not a good indication of the disorder at all.
There are a number of Asperger’s symptoms that need to be met to get a diagnosis of Aspergers and they are seperated into 2 main areas. Let’s take a closer look at the criteria of an Aspergers diagnosis.
1. The first area of criteria is in social interaction and a person will need to have at least two of the following symptoms:
a) Lack of body language – no eye contact, lack of facial expression and often a rigid body posture.
b) Find it difficult to form friendships with others in the same peer group.
c) Doesn’t take the initiative to start interacting with others and not very good at sharing.
d) Will often play alone and is often reluctant to participate in social games.
2. The second area of criteria is having obsessive or repetitive behaviors and an Aspergers person will usually show at least one of the following:
a) Persisitent behavior such as counting blocks over and over again.
b) Must stick with certain routines or rituals and can become very upset if these are broken. For example, they may like their food set out a certain way on their plate or they might need to follow the exact same routine every morning when getting dressed, having breakfast etc.
c) Repetitive movements such as hand flapping.
d) Obsessiveness with a particular topic or object, for example they may be obsessed with trains and they don’t want to talk about or play with anything else but trains.
Asperger’s are often quite intelligent and have a higher IQ than average. Although they are often ahead intellectually, it is the social and emotional side of things that they find difficult.
Not all Asperger’s children will have the same severity of symptoms, some may only have mild symptoms while others can have quite severe symptoms. If your child has mild symptoms then it can be quite difficult to diagnose. If you suspect that your child might have Asperger’s syndrome then you should seek medical help to get a diagnosis.
