How Do You Know If Someone Has Asperger’s?

Symptoms of Asperger’s, or “autism spectrum disorder,” include rarely changing facial expression, not making eye contact when speaking to others, talking incessantly about a single topic and not noticing that others are not listening, standing too close to others, inability to determine when another person is joking, not using hand gestures when speaking, becoming upset if routines or plans change, disorganization, and others.

It is not always possible to know if someone has Asperger’s (now called “autism spectrum disorder,” and was formerly called "high-functioning autism"), which causes people to have difficulty in social interactions, but most people with Asperger’s have difficulty relating to others in some form.

Characteristics of Asperger syndrome include difficulty with social interactions and unusual behaviors such as:

• Rarely changing facial expression
• Not making eye contact when speaking to others 
• Talking incessantly about a single topic and not noticing that others are not listening
• Standing too close to others
• Inability to determine when another person is joking
• Not using hand gestures when speaking
• Becoming upset if routines or plans change
• Disorganization
• Difficulty finishing tasks 
• Difficulty problem-solving
• Sensitivity to noises, odors, tastes, or sights
• Specific, narrow, unusual interests
• Clumsiness
• Anxiety 
• Depression 

Some qualities of Asperger’s can be considered positive, including: 

• Attention to detail
• Ability to focus 
• Persistence 
• Ability to recognize patterns

Treatments for Asperger syndrome include therapy, medications, and school support for children:

• Therapy 
  • Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for anxiety
  • Speech therapy to help with voice control
  • Physical and occupational therapy for coordination
  • Social skills training to help with conversational skills and understanding social cues
• School support
  • Help with organization
  • Help with reading and writing
• Medications
  • Not used to treat autism spectrum disorder, but used for anxiety, depression, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and seizure disorders that may accompany the disorder
  • Antidepressants such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and tricyclics 
  • Psychoactive or antipsychotic medications 
  • Stimulants 
  • Anti-anxiety medications 
  • Anticonvulsants