It is not unusual for children with Asperger’s Syndrome to acquire outstanding reading skills at a very young age. The trick here is to assure the child understands what he is reading. Take time to read to and with your child and allow him to read to you in return. Talk about the meaning of the story and explain to the child how to get the most out of a good book.
Narrow Interests
A definite symptom of Asperger’s Syndrome is the child’s obsession with certain topics. Examples are trains, cars, trucks, airplanes and all other modes of transportation. Dinosaurs, science, computer and maps also are subjects of high interest. Children with Asperger’s want to know how things work and how they are made. They tend to become preoccupied and obsessed in all things intellectual. These things will change as the child matures, but the intensity level is always extreme.
Social Interaction
All Asperger’s children have poor social skills. They do not read social cues, so cannot give a proper social response. They have no desire to share their experiences with others. These problems tend not to be as severe around parents or adults, but cause very definite problems when the child is interacting with peers. This causes difficulties when trying to make friends their own age and results in high anxiety, frustration and behavioral problems.
Children with Asperger’s often find themselves alone. Many are happy as loners; others are not. They are noticeably different when interacting with their peers in an unstructured environment such as a park or school playground. They are very naïve, which causes them to be bullied and teases unless protected by an assistant, buddy or sibling. They focus on small areas of detail and almost always fail to see the overall picture of situations. This lack of skill can be likened to a tapestry. Where non-Asperger’s children see the entire tapestry, Asperger’s children tend to focus on each individual thread. This causes them to overlook certain aspects of situations, which can cause more frustration and anxiety.