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Beyond Dr. Asperger's Finding

When Hans Asperger's findings on Asperger's Syndrome finally found an audience in the United States, they were already about 30 to 40 years old. It did not take long for researchers and physicians dealing with children falling into the autism spectrum to update his findings and to add their own observations to them.

Here is a list of the most significant discoveries that go beyond Dr. Asperger's finding:

* Asperger's Syndrome has been found in hindsight to be evident in infancy. Although common knowledge suggests that children cannot truly be diagnosed until they are in the preschool years, a thorough investigation of the little patient's background reveals several warning signs. For one, there is a distinct lack of interaction between infant and caregiver. While other infants seek out the face of another person and make little sounds to acknowledge a parent's presence, the child which is more likely to be eventually diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome has more of a take it leave it attitude.

* Children slated for this diagnosis are thought to be very quiet. They babble significantly less than other babies their ages, and they also do not learn to speak and talk as quickly as their peers.

* Any form of communication - pointing, eye contact, babbling, interaction with a caregiver, or even bringing a toy to a parent - is greatly reduced or missing altogether.

* As the baby becomes a toddler, play becomes sometimes marred by repetitive actions that take place again and again, only to be interrupted with another set of repetitive game play.

* As the toddler matures in a school aged child, it quickly becomes obvious that learning by rote will lead to excellent results whereas any activity or problem that requires independent thought is most likely going to result in failure. Worsening this situation is the fact that children suffering from Asperger's Syndrome lack the common sense their peers have accumulated, and therefore consistent supervision is critical.

Even as these situations appear to be dire for the child who will receive a diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome, the fact that there is now a strong network of autism advocates in place has greatly enhanced the quality of life and also the ability to obtain and hold down jobs for such individuals. Some become prominent in their fields, and there are also those who are able to go beyond the limiting aspects of the disease and instead earn advanced degrees, and because of their unorthodox approach to problem solving even receive many honors in their chosen fields.

Following the precept that forewarned truly is forearmed, parents who notice such oddities in their infants' behaviors have a good chance now to have their ailments diagnosed and then may hope to take adequate action to counteract future problems. This is primarily done through parental networking, membership in advocacy organizations, and education on the subject at hand, which makes the parent an integral part in the healthcare of the child. By and large, parents who seek out a possible diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome early on will do better with helping their children than those who wait until the child is of preschool age.