Asperger's or severe neglect?

Question:

I have a foster child who has been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome. I am interested to know if anyone has any experience with children or adults who maybe appear apspergers because of severe neglect and lacking social interaction for a number of years.

Am I just in denial that this child has autism or is there a chance that I'm right? Thanks for your responses.

Answers:
First off, there's no reason you should need to be in denial about a diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome, because the prognosis for kids with this sydrome is very good, and most people with Asperger's go on to live a productive and fullfilling life. This is particularly true in todays society that tends to value intellectual talent over social skills.

Second, Asperger's is a purely clinical diagnosis. It describes a set of symptoms, not a cause. The cause, or causes of the disorder are still largely unknown anyway. So even if prolonged neglect is the cause of the child's symptoms, it's still Asperger's. But like I said, that doesn't mean he won't be able to function in normal school and work environments, and ultimately be quite successful (actually, people with Asperger's tend to be quite bright, so they are often successful in today's world). Asperger's is a relatively new diagnosis - before that they were just called nerds.

Check for other asperger's signs. These would include narrow and intense interests, odd sensory issues (only eating foods of a certain texture, not liking to wear certain material shirts, sensitivity to certain sights/sounds/smells), and not liking to be touched.

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Asperger's or severe neglect?

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