Description of Aspergers Syndrome

Hans Asperger (1944) first described Aspergers syndrome (AS) as a severe disorder characterized by major difficulties in social interaction, and restricted and unusual patterns of interest and behavior.

Children with severe AS do not read social cues well and have little empathy. This is apparent in their clumsy body language, inappropriate facial expression, pedantic monotonic speech, a peculiar "stiff" gaze, and difficulty sensing other’s social space. Their social interactions tend to be one-sided. They have little ability to form friendships and suffer from social isolation.

Though they are rejected by their peers, they deeply desire the same social relationships all of us need. This rejection often leads to depression, anxiety, anger and further withdrawal.

Rather than showing developmentally appropriate interests they tend to fixate on circumscribed topics like weather, facts about TV stations, computers, or maps. This makes them seem eccentric to their peers. This impression of eccentricity is amplified by their odd postures and ill coordinated movements.

Aspergers Syndrome is more common in boys than girls.

High Functioning Aspergers Syndrome

High Functioning Aspergers Syndrome (HFA) is a much milder and more treatable form of AS, which may actually confer some intellectual advantages. Some researchers believe that both Einstein and Newton were HFA.

Because of their anxiety in social situations they have difficulty reading and integrating these social cues and thus misinterpret literal and implied meanings. Dealing with puns, metaphors, creativity and symbolic meaning uses holistic processing. They don’t seem to “get it “ socially. The rules of social interaction seem a mystery to them.

By contrast, sequential thinking is logical, deals with the coding and decoding of meaning in terms of the relationship of elements within a sequence. HFA's are more comfortable and skilled in this area. This is the reason they may be academically successful and have superior skills in one of their special interest areas.

However, there is a large overlap between HFA and ADHD diagnoses. Because of the ADHD symptoms, some HFA children are not able to live up to their academic potential. If your child also shows ADHD symptoms you might want to view my ADHD site www.caer.com and read my book ADHD: A Path to Success.