Asperger’s syndrome, a developmental disorder, is an ASD (autism spectrum disorder). It impacts on the individual’s ability to communicate and socialize, among other things.
According to the National Institutes of Health1, children with Asperger’s Syndrome (AS) retain their early language skills.
Contents of this article:
What is Asperger’s syndrome?
What are the signs and symptoms of Asperger’s syndrome?
What causes Asperger’s syndrome?
How is Asperger’s syndrome diagnosed?
What are the treatment options for Asperger’s syndrome?
You will also see introductions at the end of some sections to any recent developments that have been covered by MNT’s news stories. Also look out for links to information about related conditions.
Fast facts on Asperger’s syndrome
Here are some key points about Asperger’s syndrome. More detail and supporting information is in the main article.
Asperger’s syndrome is an autism spectrum disorder that impacts on a person’s communication and socialization abilities.
A person with Asperger’s syndrome has difficulty responding to the body language, facial expressions and tone of voice of others – leading to anxiety and confusion.
A child with Asperger’s syndrome may show signs of the disorder within their first year of life.
Asperger’s syndrome is more common in males than females.
Signs of Asperger’s syndrome include, obsessive interests, formal speech, rituals, social isolation, delay in motor skills, lack of imagination and sensory difficulties.
The cause of Asperger’s syndrome is unknown – genetic and environmental factors may be involved.
Early diagnosis is often complicated due to each individual having varying combinations of symptoms.
Diagnosis, in many cases, occurs during adulthood.
There is no cure for Asperger’s syndrome. However, there are several therapies and strategies that can improve symptoms.
Various therapies, teaching of strategies, and other approaches can have a positive impact on the quality of life of a person with Asperger’s syndrome.
What is Asperger’s syndrome?
When humans meet they make judgments about each other. People’s body language, facial expressions and tone of voice give out information regarding whether they are happy, sad, angry or in a hurry. How we respond depends on how we process these signals.
For a person with Asperger’s syndrome, reading these signals instinctively is more difficult. Consequently, they find it more difficult to communicate and interact with others. According to the National Autistic Society2 in the UK, this can lead to anxiety and confusion.
Asperger’s syndrome differs from other ASDs in that the symptoms are less severe and there is no language delay. A child with AS generally has good language and cognitive (thinking, intelligence) skills. They tend to have average or above-average vocabularies and reach speech milestones at the same time as children in the general population
The Autism Society3 in Maryland, USA, says that most people who are unfamiliar with AS may just think that the individual is behaving differently.
A child with autism is usually perceived as aloof and not interested in mixing in with others. Children with AS, however, generally want to interact with others. The problem is that they find it hard.
The individual with AS may find it hard to understand conventional social rules and may come over as lacking empathy. Their usage of gestures may appear either lacking or inappropriate, and eye contact may be very limited.
Unlike other children (and adults) with an ASD, those with AS (Asperger’s syndrome) have average IQs and are pretty much just as likely to have learning disabilities as those without AS. However, their learning requirements may be different from other childrens’.
Asperger’s syndrome was named after Austrian pediatrician Hans Asperger, who first described the disorder in 1944. However, the syndrome was not recognized as a unique disorder until later on.
Autism Awareness Ribbon, awareness of Asperger’s syndrome
Autism Awareness Ribbon – awareness and recognition of Asperger’s syndrome continues to grow
A child with AS may show signs of the disorder during the first year of life. Parents or caregivers may sense that there is something unusual about their infant – their motor skills may appear uncoordinated, the way they crawl or walk might be awkward or clumsy, or just slightly different. As the baby grows into a toddler, there may be a certain amount of clumsiness.
Experts at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children4 in London says that in many cases, the AS child’s difficulties are not formally recognized until the demands of their environment increase, as may be the case when they leave primary and start secondary school.
Experts say that Asperger’s syndrome is much more common in males than females.
Asperger’s syndrome is not a disease, it is a syndrome. A syndrome is a collection of symptoms that occur together with a condition.
People with AS have the same life expectancy as in the general population, and are no more or less susceptible to diseases or infections as others.
The likelihood of developing depression later on in life is higher for those with AS, but this is probably a consequence of years of living with the stresses and anxieties that come with coping with life in a “non-AS” world.
What are the signs and symptoms of Asperger’s syndrome?
What is the difference between a sign and a symptom? A symptom only the patient feels and describes, such as a headache or blurry vision, while a sign can be detected by other people, such as inflammation, dilated pupils, or a rash.
Asperger’s syndrome is a wide spectrum disorder. This means that not all people have the same symptoms; they vary enormously from person-to-person. Below are some of the most common signs and symptoms:
Obsessive interests. Some children with Asperger’s syndrome have become experts in a single object or topic. This often excludes any other subject. This compulsive interest can range from vacuum cleaners, car models, trains, computers or even objects as strange as kitchen equipment or lawn mowers. These activities usually involve collecting, numbering or listing.
Some are exceptionally knowledgeable in their chosen field of interest. The topic of conversation with others will focus on their special interest. While individuals with AS may present many facts about their interest, the National Library of Medicine5 mentions that “there will seem to be no point or conclusion.”
Speech is formal or distinct – there may be a lack of rhythm or intonation in how a person with AS speaks. Their utterances may come out as flat, monotonous, or unusually slow or fast.
Children with AS commonly lack the ability to modulate the pitch of their voice to match their immediate surroundings. Sometimes there may be a problem in using the right amount of volume.
They may often sound much older than they are. Teachers or family members may describe their speech as that of a “little professor”.
Routines. In an effort to lessen confusion, people with AS may have rules and rituals which they methodically maintain. They are anxious and upset if there is a disruption to their set of patterns. Parents and adults with AS say that the ability to adapt to change is there, even a change of routine, as long as the person knows well in advance. A surprise change in routine can sometimes cause upset or anxiety.
Non-functional routines are also common in people with Asperger’s syndrome. A child may insist on going to school using exactly the same route every time, or dress in a specific order. According to NAMI6, “These nonfunctional routines can be of critical importance to the child with Asperger. Given a choice in clothing, the child might create what seems like a uniform that is worn day after day.”
Social isolation. Adults and children with Asperger’s syndrome are often isolated because of their poor social skills and narrow interests, i.e. they end up alone a lot. They can become withdrawn and seem uninterested in other people, appearing distant or aloof. Normal conversation may be challenging, because of inappropriate and/or odd behavior. There is a tendency to only talk about their singular interest. Making friends, as well as keeping them is often a problem.
In many cases, the person wants to have friends and mix in, but finds it hard. After trying and trying without much success, there is a risk the child (and adult) may find it safer and less troublesome to be alone. However, being alone might not be ideal. Contact with others, “brushing” with others in our herd, helps people with AS overcome some of their difficulties.
Delay in motor skills. Usually, children with Asperger’s syndrome have developmental delays in motor skills, such as pedaling a bike, running, catching a ball, playing ball games, or climbing. They are often clumsy and poorly coordinated. Carrying out specific detailed tasks, such as tying shoelaces may require extra effort. The way they walk can appear either stiff or bouncy. Arms may not swing while walking, but just hang down (like they would if one were carrying shopping).
Researchers from Sweden wrote in the journal Physiotherapy Theory and Practice7 that people with Asperger’s syndrome who were physically active tended to have better gross motor function compared to those who were less active.
Social skills and communication. Sometimes, people with Asperger’s syndrome have difficulty to express themselves emotionally and socially. They find it difficult to understand and interpret gestures, facial expressions or tone of voice. They lack the basic social skills most other people take for granted. The natural ability of knowing when to start or end a conversation may be weak. They do not easily understand jokes, humor, figures of speech and irony.
Childhood banter (or adult’s too) may cause distress and confusion. They are not aware of the commonly accepted social rules such as the appropriate distance to stand next to another person or choosing suitable topics of conversation. Also, they may intrude into other people’s personal space unintentionally.
The Asperger’s Association of New England8 explains that people with AS do not pick up much of the non-verbal social cues conveyed to them. They may simply not be aware of this information, while the cues that they do notice are commonly misinterpreted. This can result in “frustratingly awkward social interactions and ineffective behavioral responses.”
Imagination. People with this syndrome can have difficulty with social imagination. They may have trouble imagining alternative outcomes to situations. Make-believe games may seem pointless, impossible to do, or ridiculous.
Topics based on logic, memory and systems are more interesting (mathematics, computer science and music). Many children with Asperger’s syndrome are exceptionally talented or skilled in those particular areas.
Two researchers from the University of Cambridge in England wrote in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders9 that children with AS could offer imaginative suggestions to a situation presented to them, but they tended to be reality-based imaginings, rather than creative ones.
For example, when presented with a rectangular foam shape, they might say that it could be squashed into a flat rectangle, rather than imagining something like a kite floating in the sky among the clouds and seagulls, with a goblin sitting on top.
Sensory difficulties. In some individuals, the sensory sensitivity is distorted. One or all of the senses (sight, sound, smell, touch, or taste) can be altered. The senses are either intensified or underdeveloped. People with the syndrome might have different perceptions of loud noises, bright lights, intense smells, food textures and materials. Many people with AS say that if they know a noise or smell is going to come, they can cope with them well – often, it is an unexpected sensation that causes distress.
A team of Finnish researchers wrote in the journal Neuroscience Letter10 that auditory sensory processing is weak in children with AS. They suggested that this weakness “might be implicated in the perceptual problems encountered by children with AS.”
Related conditions. In early childhood, children with Asperger’s syndrome are often extremely active. Later, in young adulthood they may develop anxiety or depression. Other conditions related with the syndrome are Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), depression, tic disorders (such as Tourette syndrome), anxiety disorders, and Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
What causes Asperger’s syndrome?
The exact cause of Asperger’s syndrome is unknown. Research suggests that a combination of genetic and environmental factors may account for changes in brain development. The fact that Asperger’s syndrome tends to run in families suggests that a predisposition to develop the disorder may be inherited. The syndrome may be passed on from parent to child.
In 2009 a team of scientists at the University of Cambridge in England identified 27 genes linked to either:
Asperger’s syndrome.
Autistic traits.
Empathy problems.
Some researchers suggest environmental factors during pregnancy may have an impact (viral or bacterial infection, mother smoking during pregnancy, the age of the father, air contamination and exposure to pesticides).
The State Government of Australia11 states adamantly that Asperger’s syndrome is not caused by choices of parenting styles, junk food, television, tantrums, or family situations.
Kids Health12, part of the Nemours Foundation, among the world’s largest non-profit organizations dedicated to children’s health, says that researchers believe brain abnormalities may be linked to AS. Advanced brain imaging technology has identified structural and functional differences in specific regions of the brain among people with AS.
MNT DT
