Kids Awareness Series

A common problem also seen in children with Asperger’s as well as seen with children with Autism are sensitivity to sensory experiences.  A child with Asperger’s is often very sensitive to loud noises such as an airplane or an ambulance going by and they will often cover their ears.  Some very common sensitivities seen in children are in smell, taste, sound, visual, and in touch. 

A child with Asperger’s will often cry when they hear very loud sounds, certain smells will make them sick to their stomach, and they often become overwhelmed when they are trying to process too much visual information such as seen when they go on a shopping trip.  Children with Asperger’s often are very sensitive to a lot of light and they often do not want to be touched and a hug or being patted on the head or on the back is often aversive to them. 

A child with Asperger’s may also have difficulty making friends as they often miss social cues that are often inherent in children who do not have ADHD.  They do not seem to understand nonverbal communications such as another child’s facial expression or the body language of the children around them.  Social skills are often lacking and other children will often perceive them as abrupt and insensitive to others feeling.  In addition, they are often very passionate about one or more particular areas, however can not relate when children talk about something that does not interest them.  They do not accept change well and often seem inflexible to those around them. 

References:  

American Psychiatric Association (2000).  Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM IV (4^th ed., text, revision), Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Association.