does my child have aspergers ?

Question

She could recognize letters and numbers by the age of two without us helping her, she was slow to walk, and her behavoir as an infant was unusualy mild. She is four now and very "book smart" but, i have wondered about her social skills. She has been in pre-school, dance, and sports but, she has a hard time fitting in because of her behavior. She is always in other kids space. She struggles with conversation and will ask a question over and over. Ex.how old are you? She is having troble with moter skills ex.writing, following directions ex. put the blue sock in the drawer. She still doesn't consistantly play with her sister a year and a half younger than her (who is following directions better than her). She has acted differnt than the children her age???please help.

I have always known something was a little different but, I didn't know about this condition. We have a friend who has an autistic child and their behaviors have always been similar.

Please do not answer if you don't know anything about it. She has been to the family doctor and they say she is fine.I am trying to reserch for answers and I can't find any detailed examples on the websites.

Answer 1

Family doctor may be right, or wrong.
Child needs to be seen by a specialist in Child development, and one who is experienced in evaluating children with the Autism Spectrum Disorders (links below will define this term).

Early intervention, i.e. teaching social skills and alternative methods of teaching skills and knowledge, is the best way to help your child make the most of her life.

So keep on top of them (doctors, teachers, counselors) until you get some results. It does sound as if she has some developmental issues; only an experienced clinician can define exactly what and prescribe intervention.


Asperger's info
http://www.udel.edu/bkirby/asperger/aswhatisit.html

Autism Society of America (main)
http://www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer?pagename=homepage
Asperger's
http://www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer?pagename=about_whatis_asperger

Autism overview
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/overview.htm

symptoms
Also see: links on right for Screening & Diagnosis, FAQ, etc
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/symptoms.htm

Autism spectrum disorders
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/index.htm

Answer 2

It might be, or it might be something else. An early evaluation by a trained professional will help a lot. I can't imagine someone giving you an accurate answer through yahoo answers: see a professional. Your pediatrician or perhaps your preschool should be able to refer you.

Answer 3

to me it does not sound like autism,surely your daughter has been assessed by a doctor,if not ,why not