What Is Asperger's Syndrome?

Have you ever had a friend that acted different than everyone else and wondered why? Some people that act differently may suffer from a condition known as Asperger’s. Asperger's is a syndrome of Autism that presents many challenges, yet also has benefits as well. This condition often goes unrecognized in young children because it is on the lower level spectrum of Autism. Actually, I picked this topic because I have this condition myself. Asperger’s main symptoms include; limited social interaction, “robotic” or repetitive speech, lack of eye contact, and obsessions with unusual topics. Some advantages are intelligence, faster learning, and special services in school. Some disadvantages can include a deficit of communication, and depression.

Aside from routines and rituals, another essential symptom in Asperger’s is poor or nonexistent social skills. People with Asperger’s syndrome have difficulty during conversation and are awkward when starting conversation ("What is Asperger's Syndrome?

Approximately 947,570 Americans have Asperger’s Syndrome (AS), however, it is not an easy disorder to explain (Bashe 19). With multiple conditions and characteristics in each case, AS is not an easy disorder to diagnose. Asperger’s Syndrome was named after Hans Asperger, an Austrian physician, who first described the disorder in 1944 after studying a group of children with similar, unusual characteristics. However, AS was not made an official disease until 1994. Consequently, Asperger disease is just now becoming published and popular so there is still research and questions being answered. Asperger’s Syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder, is noted by above-average

Asperger’s syndrome, which is also referred to as Asperger's disorder, is a type of Persuasive Developmental Disorder. Persuasive Developmental Disorder or PDD are a group of conditions that involve delays in the development of basic skills, the most recognizable of these skills is the ability to communicate and socialize with others as well as use their own imagination. Although Asperger's syndrome is similar in some ways to autism, there are important differences between the two. Children with Asperger's syndrome typically function higher than those children with autism. In addition to them being higher functioning; children with Asperger's syndrome generally have normal intelligence and slightly less than normal language development.

Autism is a brain disorder that is characterized by slow and difficult comprehension of spoken and non-verbal communication and repetition of behaviors. Autism is normally noticed in the first two years of a child (Myers & Johnson, 2007). Asperger syndrome is an autistic disorder that has almost the same similarities with autism. People with Asperger syndrome have little comprehension of the world and its surroundings and poor communication with other people. People with Asperger syndrome are hard to recognize, as they do not show on their outward appearances. They are average or above average intellectually and have fewer problems in terms of speech and specific learning disabilities unlike in autism. These difficulties include dyslexia, epilepsy, and attention

Another trait he observed in the four children was that they had a certain interest that they were obsessed with in a sense and it dominated their conversations with other people. He called the condition “autistic psychopathy” he said it was a personality disorder that’s main symptom was social isolation. Asperger’s wasn’t widely known until 1981. Children with Asperger’s (AS) will get a huge amount of information about whatever their favorite subject is. These people who have AS aren’t able to always control the volume of their voice based on the environment surrounding them, e.g., libraries, movie theaters, etc. Also, a wide selection of children with AS are very active as young kids. But then as a young adult they begin to be depressed or anxious.

The relationship between Asperger syndrome and autism has been a controversial topic in psychology. There is not a definite correlation which has been decided upon between the two and chiefly due to the fact that they are both overly similar. Concisely, psychologists seek to identify the main difference between them. In a simpler way, it is not yet clear whether autism and Asperger syndrome should be defined as independent (distinct) terms, or whether Asperger syndrome should be categorized under the wider realm of autism. In their researche, multiple scholars have come upon differing opinions and theories in support of their own perceptions of the two disorders which either agree or disagree at some point. Asperger syndrome is derived from Hans Asperger who is highly recognized for his efforts in defining the disease which many scholars had described as not diagnosable (Mayes, Calhoun & Crites, 2001).

This work is built around a topic that is sum interest to me due to the incidence of cases within the different social fields. It 's a syndrome whose classification is relatively new and as such requires a comprehensive approach for a better management of the condition. Asperger 's disorder owes its name to Hans Asperger who was the first to discover a group of children with traits very particular, mainly characterized by the absence of empathy, reduced ability to social relations, solitary conversations, a deep attachment to a special interest, and clumsy movements. However the person who presents it has no alterations in the appearance, in its capacity of intelligence and often displays skills in restricted areas. This disorder

Aspergers syndrome is a type of pervasive development disorder or PDD. PDD’s are a group of conditions that involve delays in the development of many basic skills such as; the ability to socialize with others, to communicate and using their imagination( Aspergers). It was discovered by Hans Asperger who was a viennese physician who recognizes this disorder in the 1940’s. It became universally recognized as a developmental disorder in the United States( Quinn 32-33).

People with this disorder are affected in different ways. The strengths of Asperger’s, according to James, include “the ability to think in unusual and enriching ways, concentration for long periods of time on a single activity, sole attention to a task and persistence with it far beyond the point at which other people would have given up” (2006, p. 11).

What is Asperger 's syndrome (AS)? AS is a social disorder linked to autism which is often misdiagnosed as attention deficit disorder (ADD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) because of their similar symptoms. The name comes from Hans Asperger, an Austrian that examined autistic children and used the term "autism" to identify them (Grinker 56). According to Bibbi Hagberg et. Al. , Approximately, 30–50 % of individuals with AS have symptoms (inattention and overactivity in particular) consistent with a diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Research indicates individuals with AS may experience challenges with social interaction, coordination capabilities, and the ability to understand

Asperger’s disorder (AD) is a disruption in the formation of the child’s physical and or psychological development and recognizing these, the disorder was separated from Autism in 1944, to provide a basis for each child to get the proper care. All children with Asperger Disorder will show some traits in these three categories; impaired social skills, trouble communicating with others and a pattern of behavior, interest, and activities’ will be limited and recurring; they become obsessed with a single theme. Usually the child will have the normal communication skills in the beginning years. They will be using single words by age one. They just will not be using them in the normal way. When doctors are testing for this disorder, they are looking for specific behaviors or skills that are either present or absent. If the right services are available, Asperser’s children will show significant improvement in language

Autism spectrum disorder has several categories. One of those categories is Asperger’s syndrome. Asperger’s syndrome was first described in the 1940s by Viennese pediatrician Hans Asperger, who observed autism-like behaviors and difficulties with social and communication skills in boys who had normal intelligence and language development (N/A, Asperger's Syndrome). What separates Asperger’s syndrome from bona fide autism are its less severe symptoms and the absence of speech delays. Children with Asperger’s may only be mildly affected, and they frequently have good speech and cognitive skills. Children with autism are often seen as aloof and uninterested in others. This isn’t the case with Asperger’s syndrome. Individuals with Asperger’s Disorder usually want to fit in and have social interaction with others, but often don’t know how. They may be socially awkward. They might also not understand conventional social rules. They also usually show a lack of empathy. They might have limited eye contact, seem unengaged in a conversation and not understand sarcasm and gestures. Their interests in a specific subject may border on obsessive. Children with Asperger’s Syndrome often like to have collections. They might be proficient in knowledge categories of information, such as Latin terms. They may be great with following rules but struggle with abstract concepts, or "gray

Autism and Asperger’s are two syndromes that are now looked as being part of the ‘Autism Spectrum Disorder’. Asperger’s is on the high functioning end while Autism is on the low functioning end. Before the ‘autism spectrum’ was created, in nineteen forty-three and nineteen forty-four, a psychiatrist named Leo Kanner and German scientist named Hans Asperger discovered Autism and Asperger’s. Their research included looking at cases of children who were different and had qualities of aloneness, obsessiveness, and trouble with social interactions. Leo Kanner and Hans Asperger helped others understand children who were different and helped us today as we used their research to further the identification of Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Recently, society is showing concern for the rise in people having Autism and the economic costs to society. However, history shows Asperger has been known as a disorder since 1944. Autism and Asperger are not new disabilities and many people are still undiagnosed. After over 70 years, how to diagnose, treat, and understand these disabilities are still being researched. DSM-5 addressed the possible confusion of diagnosing these disorders, increased costs, and high numbers of people diagnosed with Autism by changing the criteria to a spectrum and removing Asperger’s disorder.