Does this kid have AS?

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I've been observing a preschool classroom for an Early Childhood ed. class and there's a boy in the class who I think has aspergers. I've only observed two classes so far and I feel I may be rushing to make that judgment, but I feel pretty sure from what I've seen.

The first day of class I noticed him rocking back and forth while sitting for story time. That didn't really strike me as strange because a lot of the kids are restless and are always moving around. But throughout the day I noticed him flap his hands, wring his fingers and rock back and forth frequently. He has a very awkward way of moving; his body is usually very tense and he seems to bump into things frequently. I didn't really interact with him the first day, but his movements seemed very typical of AS.

The second class I observed I noticed the same hand flapping, finger wringing and rocking. I worked with him briefly, trying to get him to color a square without going outside the line. His eyes were on the paper the entire time, he didn't look up at me or acknowledge me. He had a very difficult time gripping the pencil. Other children I worked with also had a hard time, but they at least had the basic understanding that the pencil went between the thumb and index finger, but he was constantly switching his grip and the fingers he used to hold it.

This may or may not have to do with AS but he has very large bags under his eyes for a child so young (I know when I was young I had a lot of trouble sleeping). At one point the teacher asked him to push in his chair after he got up from his table, and instead of pushing the chair he was sitting in he pushed one across from it on the other side of the table. He seemed a little confused and the teacher directed him to the chair he had been in. He has a twin sister in the class who seems to speak for him since he doesn't talk that much.

I'm observing again this Friday. I want to mention this to the teacher after class, and see if she thinks it's possible, but I can't help but feel worried that she may think I'm looking too hard into it. AS is on my mind a lot, especially now that I'm trying to get a diagnosis, I worry maybe I am just seeing something that isn't there? I've never known a child with aspergers, so I'd like to get some other opinions... Does it sound like this kid has aspergers and it's not just me?

it does sound like something the teacher should have noted, and the parents should have a dx already, but I've learned a lot of kids get overlooked. it seems difficult to fathom that a kid whose symptoms seem obvious could be overlooked, but I had to fight really hard to get help for my own kids because education staff just could not put 2 and 2 together. I guess you could ask if it's ok to find out what the child's dx is, and if he doesn't have one I guess it's a good opportunity to find out how educators handle a situation where a child doesn't but probably should.

Were you watching my son?

Kidding, but he's 3 and sounds like his boy.

Try giving the boy a stumpy little crayon ... it's easier to get him to master the tripod grip w/ that.

My son has AS and fine motor has required a little work (funny he can rock a mouse on a PC ... but coloring is torture.)

I noted you are from New York...and in New York State, EVERY child is evaluated before the start of school, by the age of three.
Has this child been evaluated before he started pre-school? What are your qualifications in making an accurate diagnosis?

Could be a case of AS, but it is difficult to say without seeing him in different situations. Labelling is not the most important thing, helping him on a personal level is more important, the label is only a tool!

About the writing, there are these rubber things you can put on a pen. They are shaped like triangles or have an ergonomic grip and make it easier to hold a pen. I used them a lot during elementary school and it helped me. But they gave me a typewriter anyway.