Children with Asperger's Syndrome exhibit poor social interactions, obsessions, odd speech patterns, limited facial expressions and other peculiar mannerisms. They might engage in obsessive routines and show an unusual sensitivity to sensory stimuli.
Aspergers adolescents are often moody and argumentative. But if your Aspergers child or adolescent has a persistent pattern of tantrums, arguing, and angry or disruptive behaviors toward you and other authority figures, he or she may have oppositional defiant disorder (ODD).
In autism spectrum disorder (ASD), symptoms of oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) are common but poorly understood. DSM-5 has adopted a tripartite model of ODD, parsing its features into 'angry and irritable symptoms' (AIS), 'argumentative and defiant behavior' (ADB) and 'vindictiveness'.
Aspergers speech patterns often seem odd to people who don't know them. Tone, intonation and volume are often restricted, seemingly inappropriate, or at appear at odds with what is being said. Children with Aspergers also have difficulty interpreting and displaying non-verbal communication.
ODD symptoms can look similar to symptoms of autism. This makes it doubly hard for a parent of a child with autism to know for sure if his/her child has ODD.
Disruptive behavior is another symptom that can have many causes. A lot of kids with behavior problems are diagnosed with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). But sometimes kids who seem to have ODD are actually struggling with anxiety, OCD or a learning disorder.
ODD is a description of behaviors; it is not a standalone diagnosis and it is not a neurodevelopmental challenge like ADHD.
Some people with Asperger's speak in a formal manner and with less voice inflection. They may speak loudly or go on tangents during conversations and may have one-sided conversations and difficulty detecting changes in the topic.
Echolalia can be a problem if it continues in children older than 3. It can happen in children with autism spectrum disorders like Asperger's syndrome. They may need extra time to process the world around them and what people say to them. This causes them to copy or repeat the sounds or words they hear.
If untreated, ODD may lead to anxiety, depression, or a more serious disorder called conduct disorder. A child or teen with conduct disorder may harm or threaten people or animals, damage property or engage in serious violations of rules.
ODD most commonly affects children and teenagers, but it can also affect adults. It most commonly begins by age 8. Some children outgrow ODD or receive proper treatment for it, while others continue to have symptoms through adulthood.
Diagnosis and Clinical Manifestations
Accurate diagnosis is important because other conditions can mimic the symptoms of disruptive disorders. ADHD, major depressive disorder, substance abuse, and intermittent explosive disorder are differentials for ODD and CD.
Asperger Syndrome (ASD) is a pervasive developmental disorder that is widely described as a mild form of autism. People with ASD tend to have many of the social and sensory issues of those with more severe forms of autistic disorder but have average to above average IQs and vocabularies.
If left untreated, children with oppositional defiant disorder can develop other behavior problems. As adults they may show signs of passive aggressive personality disorder or antisocial personality. Recovery is possible, though.
Individuals with Asperger's usually want to fit in and have interaction with others, but often they don't know how to do it. Individuals with Asperger's may be socially awkward, not understand conventional social rules or show a lack of empathy.
The Asperger's mind enjoys and focuses on details, while the normal mind is more skilled at assembling whole concepts from details. Some people with Asperger's are visual thinkers and others are math, music, or number thinkers, but all think in specifics.
Flirting is perceived differently
A person with Asperger's may not notice your subtle hints when flirting. You may be using your best “moves,” and they could go unnoticed. “Sometimes, they don't know when someone is interested in them or flirting with them unless someone is very explicit,” Mendes explained.
Asperger's Syndrome
People with the disorder are said to fall somewhere along the "autism spectrum." Some are severely disabled, but others may only exhibit mild symptoms.
Most people are unaware of the symptoms of Asperger's syndrome. They include an unusually high IQ and a difficulty surviving in the social world.
Unfortunately, ODD lends itself to overdiagnosis because, though the child is depressed, the oppositional and defiant behaviors therein are what stand out and diagnostic protocol to contextualize the presentation isn't followed.
Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is a type of behavior disorder. Children with ODD are uncooperative, defiant, and hostile toward peers, parents, teachers, and other authority figures. Developmental problems may cause ODD.