does my child have aspergers?

Hi my 2 and half year old son, is very social and generaly happy, but he has tantrums within 2mins of shopping or may be another trigger and goes on and on for hours. He has limited language but had reflux until 2 yrs and 3 months, when we decided to medicate him as it was continuing. he tends to say the first few letters of a word and probably says a maximum of 15 words in total, i have a 6 year old daughter who was an early talker and i know you shouldn't compare but would like some advice on whether he may need speech therapy or assessment for aspergers, when i look up symptoms he doesn't seem to  fit,  but i know there is a wide spectrum of symptoms . I have decided to avoid shopping with him for awhile even though i have always limited it to 30 mins with him anyway. today his trantrum was because he wanted to go up the escalator which was the opposite way we were going, he runs away and doesn't seem to worry when he can't see me, also he despite trying to teach him about the road continually tries to run onto it. he is a poor eater. and refuses to progress from the bottle despite many attempts. i know it's a challenging age but i didn't have anywhere near as many issues with my daughter. he does play well with other kids and shares.maybe it is just a red hair temper but would appreciate any input you can offer. thanks karen    

[Eileen Roscoe, PhD]

I agree that the difficulties you describe with your son do not seem consistent with Asperger’s disorder, which is characterized by restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and activities with no significant delays in language acquisition. However, I recommend you discuss your son’s potential language delay, behavioral and feeding difficulties with your son’s pediatrician. A medical professional can rule out medical issues that may be related to your son’s speech delay. I also recommend that you ask your pediatrician to refer your son to an early intervention clinic for an evaluation. They can conduct a formal assessment to determine whether or not your son has a delay that qualifies for early intervention services. I also recommend that you contact a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, for the behavioral difficulties you describe. A behavior analyst can assist you in developing a plan for how to manage your son’s tantrum behavior. Please visit the website of the Behavior Analysis Certification Board (http://www.bacb.com/) where you will find a directory of service providers.