Aspergers syndrome: a little known

developmental disorder
MCR Cognitive Development Unit
3 Taviton Street London WCIH OBT
[Edited by MAAP Services, May 2007]
You may be involved with a rather baffling child or adult. You may
have wondered if he or she has autism. The name Aspergers
syndrome may have been mentioned. We aim to tell you, in a few
paragraphs, something about how this term is used, and what it
implies.
What is Aspergers Syndrome?
Aspergers syndrome is named after an Austrian pediatrician, Hans
Asperger (1906-1980). He identified a group of children and adults
who had characteristic problems in the areas of social interaction
and communication. He called them autistic, and emphasized their
narrow special interests, good language and idiosyncratic learning
styles: like a little professor or a child just landed on earth.
The term Aspergers syndrome has been adopted recently to cover
those individuals who, although may have many of the same
difficulties as other people with autism, are different in certain ways
which make professionals unwilling to use the term autistic. In
particular, the person may have great interest in others, and wish to
be sociable, although finding such interaction very baffling.
Contrary to the stereotype of the silent and withdrawn autistic
child, the person with Aspergers syndrome may have very fluent
language may in fact tend to talk on and on regardless of the
hearers interest. Despite superficially good language, they still
have problems with communication. They may be over-precise,
over-literal and socially insensitive in their communication.
Particularly noticeable is an odd quality to the voice or speech
melody, which can be monotone, silted or singsong. Body language,
posture and gait may also be strikingly odd. A good vocabulary and
excellent rote memory often leads people to over-estimate the real
level of understanding and intelligence. Sometimes a child with
rather poor general understanding is thought to be a prodigy
because of unusual memory skills (e.g. being able to hum Mozart
arias at the age of two).

Diagnosis of Aspergers syndrome

Criteria of Aspergers syndrome overlap greatly with that of autism:
impairments in social interaction, in communication and
imagination, presence of repetitive behavior, and imposition of
routines. In addition, special interests (train timetables, astronomy,
dates, collecting objects as well as facts) and clumsiness are
considered particular features of Aspergers syndrome. Individuals
can be highly intelligent, while lacking in common sense. Their
intellect may allow them to compensate for their handicaps, and
obscure the real nature of their difficulties. The incidence of
Aspergers syndrome is as yet unknown, but is estimated by some to
be one in every 150 live births. Aspergers syndrome is much more
common in males than in females.
What causes Aspergers syndrome?
Aspergers syndrome, like autism, has a biological basis in the brain.
There may be a genetic component, and a genetic link to autism;
autism and Aspergers syndrome occur in the same family more
often than by chance alone. The area of the brain affected is not yet
known.
Not simply eccentric
Not everyone who has social difficulties, communication impairment,
or a special interest has Aspergers syndrome. People with
Aspergers syndrome are different from normal eccentrics in that
they have not chosen to be different. For instance, Aspergers
syndrome individuals have almost insurmountable difficulties in
understanding humor, and the intentions and attitudes of others.
The difficulties a person with Aspergers syndrome experiences will
usually impair the quality of their lives, in many different areas. The
most notable, and painful, is the lack of friends, and difficulty in
integrating in job or school, despite the desire to fit in. These
problems are all of a different quality and magnitude from those
experienced by people who are sensitive loners who may retreat
into a rich inner world of fantasy.
Should you start to worry?
It would be quite wrong if, having read so far, you began to wonder
whether every shy child or adult has Aspergers syndrome. The aim
of this article is not to raise worries, but to give those readers who

are already worried about their childs long-standing social

impairments a point of reference, and a source of further
information. Most families affected by Aspergers syndrome have
suspected something seriously amiss with their child from the
earliest years.
What can be done?
Recognition and diagnosis is a vital step. This allows the people
with Aspergers syndrome as well as the family, to stop blaming
themselves. The social and communication problems must be
recognized as real handicaps, and not as simply a lack of manners,
willingness, or intelligence. Support and understanding are needed
from those around. This is especially true during adolescence and
adulthood, when the person with Aspergers syndrome may have
some dawning awareness of his/her handicap, and become
depressed. People with Aspergers syndrome do not out-grow their
social naivet and striking lack of common sense. Therefore, they
are very vulnerable and liable to panic in apparently ordinary
situations of change. People with Aspergers syndrome lack
empathy, which creates its own problems for caregivers. It is useful
to remember that the person with Aspergers syndrome may be selfcentered, but is not deliberately selfish. This distinction may be
hard to make, and those around may instinctively feel that the
Aspergers syndrome sufferer is being callous, unkind, or even cruel
and calculating. In fact the root cause of such problem behavior is
probably a fundamental lack of social understanding and insight.
Choice of educational provision is a major concern. Many such
children are in mainstream schools, where degree of success
depends on considerable support. The needs and personality of the
individual child and their family need to be considered, and is not
fruitful to make general recommendations. A social skill curriculum
is a necessary addition to the childs education.
A collection of chapters by professionals and parents can be found in
U. Frith (ed): Autism and Asperger Syndrome. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 1991