Asperger's Syndrome (also known as Asperger Syndrome - I won't be dogmatic about whether or not to include the apostrophe!) is a neurobiological disorder that is often described as a "high-functioning" form of Autism. It was first described in 1944 by Austrian paediatrician Hans Asperger, but it was not until 1994 that the condition was officially recognised by the World Health Organisation, and added to the DSM IV, and only in the past few years did it become recognised by professionals and parents. The condition was unknown in the English-speaking world until the 1980s, when Lorna Wing, the mother of an autistic child, incresed interest in the condition.
Those with AS generally have average to above-average IQ, but their downfall is in social interaction, communication and abstract thinking. They tend to lack the "subtle cues" necessary to integrate in a social environment, and therefore would be quite happy being on their own most of the time. This would also go some way towards explaining their difficulty in forming relationships, particularly with someone of opposite gender. Although they would have reasonably good vocabulary, they usually fall down when it comes to putting sentences together "off-the-cuff". This is particularly evident when it comes to translating thoughts and ideas into words. It is not so critical in written text, because it is possible to draft a text over and over, until one is satisfied with what they are saying. The difficulty arises in oral communication, where there is less time afforded in translating the thoughts and ideas into words. A "normal" person tends to process this translation much quicker than someone with AS.
It is a bit like writing a computer program, and deciding between Basic and C++, which language to use to write the program. Basic, being a high-level language is fine for programs that are not so demanding on processing and computation, but when it comes to procedures calling for very large amounts of calculating like rendering a 3-D graphics scene or solving a finite-element problem, C++, being a low-level language, is more suitable for this type of application.
However, people with AS are obsessive with routines, and are preoccupied with particular subjects or interests at different times, and some would exhibit exceptional skills or talents in specific areas, and often, through their naïveté, tend to feel "important" or "special" on account of having those skills or talents.
I tried to define AS as best I could, in my own words. There are many other websites out there on the Internet on Asperger's Syndrome, which define the condition, often in more detail.
© Copyright 2004 - 2009 Derek O'Brien. All Rights Reserved.
This content may be copied in full, with copyright, contact, creation and information intact, without specific permission, when used only in a not-for-profit format. If any other use is desired, my permission should be secured.
Disclaimer - The entire contents of this website are based upon the my opinions. Individual articles are based upon the opinions of the respective author, who retains copyright as marked. The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from research and experience. You should make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional.