What is Asperger's Syndrome?

[uniquetadpole]

I thought that maybe not everyone was aware of what Asperger's Syndrome is...so I thought maybe this would be helpful for some...(maybe we can turn this into a stickie)

What is Asperger's Syndrome?​

Dr Hans Asperger, an Austrian paediatrician, originally described Asperger’s Syndrome in 1944. The syndrome has more recently been classified as an autistic spectrum disorder. Children and adults with Asperger’s Syndrome have an intellectual capacity within the normal range, but have a distinct profile of abilities that has been apparent since early childhood. The profile of abilities includes the following characteristics:​

*A qualitative impairment in social interaction:

• Failure to develop friendships that are appropriate to the child’s developmental level.
• Impaired use of non-verbal behaviour such as eye gaze, facial expression and body language to regulate a social interaction.
• Lack of social and emotional reciprocity and empathy.
• Impaired ability to identify social cues and conventions.

*A qualitative impairment in subtle communication skills:

• Fluent speech but difficulties with conversation skills and a tendency to be pedantic, have an unusual prosody and to make a literal interpretation.

*Restrictive Interests:

• The development of special interests that is unusual in their intensity and focus.
• Preference for routine and consistency.

The disorder can also include motor clumsiness and problems with handwriting and being hypersensitive to specific auditory and tactile experiences. There can also be problems with organisational and time management skills and explaining thoughts and ideas using speech. The exact prevalence rates have yet to be determined, but research suggests that it may be as common as one in 250. The aetiology is probably due to factors that affect brain development and not due to emotional deprivation or other psychogenic factors.

The characteristics of Asperger’s Syndrome described above are based on the diagnostic criteria and current research and have also been modified as a result of my extensive clinical experience. I would like to provide a personalised description of Asperger’s Syndrome that also incorporates the person’s qualities as well as their difficulties.

From my clinical experience I consider that children and adults with Asperger’s Syndrome have a different, not defective, way of thinking. The person usually has a strong desire to seek knowledge, truth and perfection with a different set of priorities than would be expected with other people. There is also a different perception of situations and sensory experiences. The overriding priority may be to solve a problem rather than satisfy the social or emotional needs of others. The person values being creative rather than co-operative. The person with Asperger’s syndrome may perceive errors that are not apparent to others, giving considerable attention to detail, rather than noticing the ‘big picture’. The person is usually renowned for being direct, speaking their mind and being honest and determined and having a strong sense of social justice. The person may actively seek and enjoy solitude, be a loyal friend and have a distinct sense of humour. However, the person with Asperger’s Syndrome can have difficulty with the management and expression of emotions. Children and adults with Asperger’s syndrome may have levels of anxiety, sadness or anger that indicate a secondary mood disorder. There may also be problems expressing the degree of love and affection expected by others. Fortunately, we now have successful psychological treatment programs to help manage and express emotions.

Written by Robert Morgan of Top Cat Computing p/l for Tony Attwood​

Copyright © 2005 Tony Attwood​

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please visit his site for more information​

http://www.tonyattwood.com.au/​

 

[stephwalker1971]

That was very informative!
Thanks for the info!!
Steph

 

[uniquetadpole]

You are welcome Steph I am glad it helped!

 

[vespasia]

Tad how about placing the list of the positive side of Aspergers from Tony Attwood?

 

[uniquetadpole]

No prob...where do I find it?

 

[vespasia]

Here.

http://www.thegraycenter.org/sectionsdetails.cfm?id=38

I cannot locate it on Tony atwoods site at the moment.

Figure 1: Discovery criteria for aspie by Attwood and Gray

A qualitative advantage in social interaction, as manifested by a majority of the following:

peer relationships characterized by absolute loyalty and impeccable dependability

free of sexist, "age-ist", or culturalist biases; ability to regard others at "face value"

speaking one’s mind irrespective of social context or adherence to personal beliefs

ability to pursue personal theory or perspective despite conflicting evidence

seeking an audience or friends capable of: enthusiasm for unique interests and topics;

consideration of details; spending time discussing a topic that may not be of primary interest

listening without continual judgement or assumption

interested primarily in significant contributions to conversation; preferring to avoid

"ritualistic small talk" or socially trivial statements and superficial conversation

seeking sincere, positive, genuine friends with an unassuming sense of humor

Fluent in "Aspergerese", a social language characterized by at least three of the following:

a determination to seek the truth

conversation free of hidden meaning or agenda

advanced vocabulary and interest in words

fascination with word-based humor, such as puns

advanced use of pictorial metaphor

Cognitive skills characterized by at least four of the following:

strong preference for detail over gestalt

original, often unique perspective in problem solving

exceptional memory and/or recall of details often forgotten or disregarded by others, for

example: names, dates, schedules, routines

avid perseverance in gathering and cataloging information on a topic of interest

persistence of thought

encyclopedic or "CD ROM" knowledge of one or more topics

knowledge of routines and a focused desire to maintain order and accuracy

clarity of values/decision making unaltered by political or financial factors

Additional possible features:

acute sensitivity to specific sensory experiences and stimuli, for example: hearing, touch, vision, and/or smell

strength in individual sports and games, particularly those involving

endurance or visual accuracy, including rowing, swimming, bowling, chess

"social unsung hero" with trusting optimism: frequent victim of social

weaknesses of others, while steadfast in the belief of the possibility of genuine friendship

increased probability over general population of attending university after high school

(5) often take care of others outside the range of typical development
Quote Referanced from The Discovery of "Aspie" Criteria

By Carol Gray and Tony Attwood, M.Sc., Ph.D., MAPS., AFBPsS
URL for the main source document given above. No date located for time of publication.

 

[uniquetadpole]

Thanks I had not seen this...this is great!!!!!

 

[uniquetadpole]

I thought I would bring this back to the front for those who may have questions about AS

 

[uniquetadpole]

I thought I would bring this back to the front for those who may have questions about AS

Again

 

[uniquetadpole]

Bringing this back to the front for newcomers