Asperger’s Syndrome Case Study
AO is a two-year-old boy who resides with both parents. He is the last child in a family of three, having two elder sisters. AO's mother had been sick for about 5 months when she was pregnant with him. The labor was adversely uneventful. He appeared to have a good sucking reflex. during infancy, her mother switched from breastfeeding to bottle feeding when he was about 6 weeks old and many brands of infant formula was tried out because he seemed to vomit excessively. AO began walking at the age of 1 year. He is awkward when walking and tends to bump into things easily. AO has troubles falling asleep. He does not sleep at night unless someone comes in bed with him. He was brought for counseling because of some odd behaviors. AO has been noticed by parents not to have eye contact with anyone. He prefers to be alone.
AO is only seen to be attached to his mother. He does not seem to be able to form a social bond with any other person. He does not associate with other kids. He would not smile when smiled at and seems unconcerned with what others are doing. His speech is incomprehensible although he was said to have started vocalizing at age 8 months. He displays a high concentration when playing with toys. This is about the only activity he enjoys performing. He could do that for a long period at a time without losing concentration. He would do the same thing repeatedly. He is usually upset when taken away from his toys or when any of the pieces are taken away. He is known for throwing violent tantrums whenever he is upset about an issue and this is a source of concern for his patents. His parents have also noticed that he needs to be given instructions repeatedly before he carries out those commands given to him.
A diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome was made on account of the peculiarities in his speech and language, the difficulty that he has in interacting with others, his clumsiness and uncoordinated motor movements and his repetitive routines.
List of References
NINDS (2012). Asperger Syndrome Fact Sheet. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
Wing, L (2010).Asperger syndrome: a clinical account .Psychological Medicine 11, p 115-129. Cambridge University Press
