By Wendy Chen
According to the Gillberg diagnostic criteria, Asperger’s Syndrome can be defined as: Social impairment (extreme egocentricity) with respect to at least two of the following:
The exclusion of other activities Repetitive adherence Actions more by rote than by meaningA compulsive need for introducing at least one of the following: routines and interests which affect every aspect of the individual’s everyday life routines and interests which affect othersSpeach and language peculiarities with respect to at least three of the following:
Limited use of gestures Clumsy/gauche body language Limited facial expression Inappropriate facial expression Peculiar, still gazeMotor clumsiness
After reviewing this chart, do you have the feeling that you might have Asperger’s Syndrome? Don’t worry, most of us have many of these characteristics anyway. People with Asperger’s Syndrome (sometimes, referred to as Aspies) are like highlighted lines in a textbook: they indicate important details, and they may have the same personality and behavioral traits that we do, except that they have them in a more extreme way. In the following article, I will introduce a few details regarding Asperger’s Syndrome to help readers better understand this unique disorder and to realize that we should look at it with a more positive attitude. What is Asperger’s Syndrome? The term Asperger’s Syndrome comes from Dr. Hans Asperger, a Viennese pediatrician who in 1939 noticed a distinct pattern of behavior and personality in his patients. This type of condition is categorized as an autism spectrum disorder, though it differs in terms of the relative preservation of linguistic and cognitive development. The level of severity varies from person to person. Sometimes a person can may have only one or two traits from each category mentioned in the chart above, or he or she may have all of them at the same time. Nowadays many are referring to Asperger’s Syndrome as High Functioning Autism. The two terms actually came about around the same time, in 1981. They have been used to describe children who have classic signs of autism in early childhood but later develop a greater degree of intellectual ability, adaptive behavior, and communication skills than a typical autistic child. A group of researchers at Yale University have suggested that the two terms are different, but other researchers have found that they canot really be distinguished from each other. Asperger’s Syndrome is not caused by inadequate parenting or by psychological or physical trauma. Studies have firmly established that Asperger’s Syndrome is due to a dysfunction of specific structures and systems in the brain. The brain is not defective, it is simply “structured” differently from others. Complications during pregnancy have been identified in 31% of children with Asperger’s Syndrome; however, it has also been suggested that the condition is hereditary. How Prevalent is Asperger’s Syndrome? Statistics provided by the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, published in 1994 by the American Psychiatric Association, as well as the International Classification of Diseases show that the prevalence of Asperger’s Syndrome is between 1 in 1200 and 1 in 33,000. Yet according to the statistics of Gillberg and Gillberg, popularly used by clinicians in Europe and Australia and more accurately describing the condition according to Dr. Asperger, between 1 in 210 and 1 in 280 have Asperger’s Syndrome. Notice the huge difference in numbers in the overall survey, the reason being that these figures only represent people who have actually been diagnosed with the syndrome. But most people with the condition don’t even realize that they have it, even though it has been more than seventy years since it was introduced to the medical world. Asperger’s Syndrome is a highly subtle and highly misunderstood condition. Most of us only learn about it through the media—autobiographies, novels, TV shows—but even then the information is still very limited. Most stories only focus on Aspies’ intense interest in a subject that has made them so successful in their careers, such as John Elder Robison, author of Look Me in the Eye, who has worked for Pink Floyd and Kiss to create awesome electric guitars for producing special effects during concerts. Yet many people know nothing about the other features of the syndrome. More Aspie Males than Females? For a long time, scientists have believed that there was an extreme “maleness” to this condition, as well as for other kinds of autism. For example, Aspies would have higher intellectual capacity in fields like mechanical engineering or mathematics but would lack emotional ability or other “feminine” strengths such as intuition. However, recent studies have shown that this is not the case. There are just as many girl Aspies as boys; the reason why we notice more guys with Asperger’s Syndrome is that girls tend to learn to adjust and blend in by imitating those around them while guys merely isolate themselves or are just too stubborn to think that acknowledgment can actually solve anything. Compensatory and Adjustment Strategies to Being Different As mentioned above, people with Asperger’s Syndrome have different ways to cope when they discover that they have a mind/body condition different from everybody else. Adjustment strategies will vary according to personality, experience, and circumstance. Aspies may develop self-blame and depression, or escape into fantasy. Those who are more expressive with their feelings may become arrogant and blame others for their difficulties. They may also see others as obstacles and develop a hostile and condescending attitude toward other people. In other words, some have a more constructive attitude toward their condition while others fall into an even deeper psychological problem. Females with Asperger’s Syndrome generally have a more positive attitude toward their situation. They understand that if they work hard to observe others and absorb their personality traits, they would become socially successful. The girls would first watch how other people interact and then rehearse the same gestures, tone of voice, and mannerisms over and over with dolls or imaginary friends. Most are able to achieve fluency and confidence to be included in social situations. These rehearsals may turn out somewhat artificial and contrived, but hard- working Aspies still deserve a pat on the back for their positive efforts. Autism Awareness Month Being different from others in any way is always hard to cope with, whether or not anyone outside your family even knows about it. Therefore, April has become Autism Awareness month. Fundraising activities are held throughout the world in order to understand that many varieties of Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome. Libraries put books on the subject on display, and information is circulated in neighbourhoods and on the internet to show how we can “embrace” these autistic conditions. Diagnosis Young children with Asperger’s Syndrome may not feel the pressure of being different. However, if a diagnosis is not pursued and no explanation is provided, others may start to alienate the Aspies simply because of the extraordinary strangeness in their behavior. In the long term, detrimental effects will become evident and inappropriate attitudes may develop in these kids. If diagnosed early, treatments and programs will help them adjust to society more easily, providing them with firmer support and a better sense of purpose. a
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May 2024
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