All About Autism Aspergers Syndrome

[Lawrence Sheen]

This article sets out to outline many of the characteristics of
Aspergers syndrome in such a way that the information can easily be
shared with others. Autistic Spectrum Disorder (autism) is a life-long
developmental disability that affects social and communication skills.
Each person with autism displays different symptoms and behavior; some
people with autism remain non-verbal and will need life-long care.
Other people with the condition live independent lives, hold down
careers, go to university, get married and have children.
Aspergers syndrome is a form of autism that was defined by an Austrian
pediatrician over 50 years ago. People with Aspergers syndrome are
usually at this more 'able' end of the spectrum. Like autism,
Aspergers syndrome, seems to be caused by a biological difference in
the brain's development. In many cases there appears to be a genetic
cause; there are many cases of autism and Aspergers syndrome running
in the same family. One study has estimated that 3 to 7 in 1,000
people have AS. People with Aspergers syndrome share many of the same
characteristics as people with autism but they usually do not have any
accompanying learning disabilities. Explaining Aspergers syndrome
isn't easy, no matter who you are talking to! It's not something that
can be described in a single, snappy sentence! There are problems
because you cannot tell by looking at someone if they have Aspergers
syndrome. Also because the causes of Aspergers are yet to be clearly
identified it can sometimes be difficult convincing people that the
condition actually exists. You could try by explaining that, people
with Aspergers basically have problems in 3 major areas. This is
usually part of the criteria for diagnosing Aspergers syndrome. These
areas are:
Social communication: This means knowing what to say to other people
and understanding the meaning of what they are saying to you. Just
imagine how many times a day the basics of social communication come
into your child's life; at the shops, at home, at school, in the
street. People with Aspergers Syndrome can have problems when talking
to other people as they can take things people say literally. An
example would be if you say to someone with Aspergers "I laughed my
head off" they may become alarmed believing that your head really did
come off of your body. It can be very hard for people with Aspergers
to understand when someone is joking and that is why they may become
angry or upset by something you have said that wasn't meant to be
hurtful.
Social Understanding: This means knowing what to do when you are with
other people. People with Aspergers have difficulty understanding
social relationships, they do not understand all the rules involved in
social relationships. As we grow up we learn how to behave
appropriately in certain situations, for example we learn not to say
things to people like "you look fat" (unless we are deliberately
trying to be hurtful). A person with AS usually doesn't meant to be
rude, even though it can sometimes appear so, it's because their
understanding of how to behave is confused.
Imagination This is the ability to think about things that aren't
real. Children with Aspergers syndrome tend not to be interested in
games that involve pretending to be someone else (like cops and
robbers). Some children with Aspergers can be very interested in
things that aren't interesting to other children or exclude social
interaction. They may like collecting items that seem dull or unusual
to us.
There are also websites that provide a great deal of information about
the condition. A good one is Sibnet, set up by the Seattle Children's
Hospital Project. Sibnet is specifically for siblings of disabled
children and is for both young siblings and adult brothers and
sisters. The site contains information and resources for siblings of
disabled children and allows them to subscribe to the site - a place
where they can share information and discuss issues they may be
facing.
This article set out to provide a simple 'user friendly' overview of
the indicators of Aspergers Syndrome in such a way that you could
explain it to other people who might have no idea what the condition
was. Providing people with a simple and straightforward account of the
condition will help them to understand the condition better, and
provide you and your family with a much needed support network!