Asperger syndrome, symptoms and treatment
Children with problems to develop with others and sometimes have inappropriate behaviors. That would be the quickest and easiest definition of what is Asperger syndrome, a disorder of brain development related to autism and quite frequent that has an important incidence in children. We tell you everything about him.
The Spanish Association of Pediatrics in Primary Care (Aeped) defines Asperger's syndrome as a "important social disability, of early presentation and lasting character"It is a disorder that requires an adaptation of both the patient and their immediate environment and is characterized by difficulties in social skills, the use of language to communicate and behavior.
The symptoms of Asperger's Syndrome
Children with Asperger's syndrome present areas of special interest, that is, there are certain topics in which they deepen muchand that they always bring up, "whether or not it is appropriate", explain the pediatricians, who point out that the lack of socialization typical of these children is defined as a disorder of empathy.
On the other hand, children with this disorder usually have a inappropriate use of language. "The inability to understand the meaning of the metaphor and the difficulties with the sense of humor are very typical", exemplify.
On the personality traits of these children, pediatricians indicate that they vary with age. Thus, in preschool "they usually appear difficulties in learning and behavior ", while in adolescence the most typical is that the social conflict, something that occurs to a greater extent in less structured environments. "Emotional disturbances and obsessive disorders", they say, while warning of the need to be vigilant to avoid cases of harassment.
Frequent characteristics of children with asperger syndrome
The Leo Kanner Center in Santiago de Chile, specialized in supporting children with asperger and their families, has a list of some of the most frequent social characteristics of people with this disorder:
--It is better related to adults than to children of the same age.
--He does not normally enjoy social contact.
- He has problems playing with other children.
- He wants to impose his own rules when playing with his peers.
--Do not understand the implicit rules of the game.
- He wants to always win when he plays.
- It's hard to leave the house.
--He prefers to play alone.
- The school is a source of conflicts with peers.
- He does not like to go to school.
- You are not interested in playing team sports.
- It is easy object of mockery and / or abuses by their peers, who usually refuse to include it in their teams.
- Difficulty to participate in competitive sports.
- When you want something, you want it immediately.
- Has difficulty understanding the intentions of others.
--He is not interested in the latest fashion toys, stickers, TV series or clothing.
--Has little tolerance for frustration.
- He has trouble identifying his feelings and has disproportionate emotional reactions.
- Lick easily for small reasons.
- When you enjoy tends to get excited: jumping, yelling and clapping.
- He has more tantrums than normal for his age when he does not get something.
- Lacks empathy: intuitively understand the feelings of another person.
--Can do offensive comments for other people without realizing it, for example: "that fat."
- You do not understand the appropriate levels of emotional expression according to different people and situations: you can kiss a stranger, jump into a church, etc.
--He has no malice and he is sincere.
--It is innocent socially, does not know how to act in a situation. Sometimes their behavior is inappropriate and may seem challenging.
Diagnosis of Asperger
To diagnose this syndrome there is no specific test or questionnaire, but rather the specialists are based on the clinical history and observation of the child. Therefore, before a child with difficulties in the social relationship and with obsessions in very specific areas of knowledge, the Aeped recommends that the family consult with a specialist in child psychiatry.
Can it be prevented?
Parents, in our eagerness to avoid harm to our children, tend to ask ourselves how we could prevent all diseases that exist in the world. However, in the syndrome of asperger (as in many others) there is no prevention worth. Asperger syndrome is a high-level autism spectrum disorder whose detection is not easy either.
The treatment of Asperger's syndrome
The treatment of Asperger syndrome should be based on the "multidiscipline", indicate the pediatricians.In this way, they assure that the cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy "is the one that has proven to be effective". The pedagogical and educational interventions are also fundamental "with specific support for teachers".
On this, the pediatricians confirm that it is also important to support the families of these children and that there is no specific medication. "This will depend, in each case, on the symptoms presented by the child," they comment, while ensuring that any prescription of psychotropic drugs "must be sufficiently argued."
Angela R. Bonachera
