Tuesday, February 10, 2009

The definition of Asperger's Syndrome

Meet Aspie Mom, the newest member of MomHouston's blog role. She is the single-mom to a five-year-old son with Asperger's Syndrome—an "Aspie" she calls him.

This former editor-in-chief of the Texas Family Magazine says she started the blog "to share the ups and downs of parenting an 'Aspie' with others going through the same thing."

According to the Mayo Clinic, children with Asperger's Syndrome have a developmental disorder that affects their ability to socialize and communicate with others. It is generally thought of as being a "milder" form of Autism. Some of the signs and symptoms of Asperger's include:

• Engaging in one-sided, long-winded conversations, without noticing if the listener is listening or trying to change the subject
• Displaying unusual nonverbal communication, such as lack of eye contact, few facial expressions, or awkward body postures and gestures
• Showing an intense obsession with one or two specific, narrow subjects, such as baseball statistics, train schedules, weather or snakes
• Appearing not to understand, empathize with or be sensitive to others' feelings
• Having a hard time "reading" other people or understanding humor
• Speaking in a voice that is monotonous, rigid or unusually fast
• Moving clumsily, with poor coordination
• Having an odd posture or a rigid gait

As I have found from reading through Aspie Mom's blog, Asperger's is more than just a list of symptoms. It is ice cream soup and peeled grapes, unexpected trips to Holland and a kid who can make any mom laugh.

Houston Chronicle

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