Posts Tagged ‘Aspergers Symptoms’

Undiagnosed Aspergers is an issue that concerns me because so many people have Aspergers and are struggling to make it in this world without any help or resources.  Just today, I met someone who said that it was suggested that their child had Oppositional Defiant Disorder without anyone recognizing the other behaviors that are just as relevant.

There are many characteristics for Aspergers but one thing that goes unnoticed is that there can be a secondary diagnosis clouding the picture and causing undiagnosed Aspergers.   Many individuals with Aspergers also have ADD,ADHD, etc.  Because ADD or ADHD can cause behaviors that draw an excessive amount of attention, the undiagnosed Aspergers can be overlooked.

I have noticed through the years that many people with Aspergers can be oppositional and difficult to be around leading to undiagnosed Aspergers and a misdiagnosis of ODD, ADHD, etc. I don’t know why there is opposition but I suspect that on some level the person with Aspergers believes that they are smarter than everyone else and they don’t have to listen to “intellectually inferior” authority.  My son told me as a small child that homework didn’t apply to him because homework was for kids who didn’t know the material and he did so homework didn’t apply to him.

Adults with Aspergers often complain that their boss “doesn’t understand” or “I wish the cops would pull that guy over.  Why do I have to follow the rules if they don’t”.  That’s why it’s crucial that a person with Aspergers learns to handle their feelings of opposition in a socially appropriate manner and to also learn to stay on task with their jobs if ADD is a concern.

Undiagnosed Aspergers occurs frequently in America.  I think this is due in part to our society’s need for conformity especially with behavior.  If an individual is oppositional or off task, then he must simply be bad.  In fact, he may be bored with the task or find himself mentally understimulated.  The other reason may be that Autism has become such a buzz word that some professionals might prefer a diagnosis of ODD or ADHD as easier for a person to swallow while the person remains with undiagnosed Aspergers.

There are many techniques to cope with inappropriate behavior but for now I will only cover two.  The first technique is to give the person the right to be angry and irritable but in a manner that won’t cause a problem.  For instance the person can take a walk, bang on a pillow or a drum, doing something versus saying something that is detrimental.  The second technique for off task behavior is to give the work in smaller “chunks”.  Rather than force someone to complete all of their spelling, or get the whole spreadsheet finished, have the person work on the task for a short period and then move on to another task.   This lessens the frustration and keeps the interest level high.  Most importantly, the person with behaviors that are limiting their ability to function in society should at least ask the question “Do I have any other symptoms that might mean I have undiagnosed Aspergers?”  Not everyone has Aspergers but the question should be asked.

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