Does my friend have asperger's syndrome/high functioning autism?

Question

okay. im a bit concerned about her. she rarely makes eye contact. she really likes checkers and plays it for about at least 2 hours a day. she doesn't talk about it all day though. she doesnt have any other friend except for me. she doesnt really get along with other people. she has really bad posture and a deep monotonuous voice. she's really bad at sports and bumps into lots of things. she doesnt care if there's changes in routines or anything though. and she wears baggy big clothes and jackets. i think she has OCD. she shakes her leg really fast a lot, even when she's not nervous. she gets bullied kinda, even though i told them to stop. does she have asperger's and high functioning autism? what should i do? i dont think she knows she has asperger's. should i tell her? thanks so much

Answer 1

you're not a neurologist so don't tell her that she might have asperger's. most people w/asperger's always want a familiar routine set and get upset if it gets disrupted.   she might be going through something else like depression, family issues, anxiety, etc.  do her parents "baby" her meaning do they not allow her to go out and socialize and  are they over-protective of her?  she could be just a late bloomer too.  

Answer 2

I'm afraid so. I think she has Asperger's. Did you ever ask her why she never makes eye contact and why she's so withdrawn? You should talk to her about it only if she wants to. I think you should tell her that she has Asperger's becuase if you don't, she'll be miserable and always wonder why she's so different. Good luck.  

Answer 3

I would let your friend be.  It really doesn't matter if she has autism or not, does it?  What I would be concerned with is the bullying at school.  Perhaps you can tell your school counselor what is going on so they can keep an eye on her and make sure she is okay.