Aspergers-Symptoms

A. Qualitative impairment in social interaction, as manifested by at
       least two of the following:

    * Marked impairment in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors such
as eye-to-eye gaze, facial expression, body postures, and gestures to 
regulate social interaction.

    * Failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental level.

    * A lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interests, or 
achievements with other people (e.g., by a lack of showing, bringing,
or pointing out objects of interest to other people).

    * Lack of social or emotional reciprocity.


B. Restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests, 
and activities, as manifested by at least one of the following:

    * Encompassing preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and 
restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity or focus.

    * Apparently inflexible adherence to specific, non-functional routines
or rituals.

    * Stereotyped and repetitive motor mannerisms (e.g., hand or finger
flapping or twisting, or complex whole-body movements).

    * Persistent preoccupation with parts of objects.


C. The disturbance causes clinically significant impairment in social, 
occupational, or otherimportant areas of functioning.

D. There is no clinically significant general delay in language (e.g., single
 words used by age 2 years, communicative phrases used by age 3 years).

E. There is no clinically significant delay in cognitive development
or in the development of age-appropriate self-help skills, adaptive
behavior (other than in social interaction), and curiosity about
the environment in childhood.

F. Criteria are not met for another specific Pervasive Developmental
 Disorder or Schizophrenia.

        Other common characteristics of Asperger Syndrome are:

• literal thinking
• notices details
• obsessive interests
• difficulty making friends
• difficult to see other viewpoints
• often unintentionally rude
• inflexible