Asperger's Syndrome- Autism's Other White Meat

April is Autism Awareness Month.


Almost everyone can say they know someone living with Autism. Autism has become commonplace amongst childhood disorders because it is now graded on a spectrum, a group of disorders with similar features. Levels of severity are different for everyone, but Autism is generally a socially crippling disorder for many individuals. On the Autism spectrum, there are three "categories" : Classic Autism, Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS), and Aspergers Syndrome. A disorder that, in my opinion, is very complex and misunderstood.

In honor of Autism Awareness Month, I'll post an article about Asperger's that I wrote last year:

Asperger’s Syndrome: Autism’s Other White Meat

“I don’t really care to play outside. The National Geographic channel is having a special on triceratops!”

This is a phrase, similar to hundreds of others, uttered by ten-year-old Alex living with Asperger’s Syndrome. I met Alex several years ago in a group home for children with developmental disorders, such as Autism and Mental Retardation. With absolutely no interest in engaging with other children his age, he preferred to sit alone and read text books about dinosaurs. If he spoke to anyone, it was usually to the group home staff, about his only topic of interest: Jurassic creatures, and anything having to do with them. Isn’t it normal for ten-year-old boys to develop an affinity for dinosaurs? Certainly. However, it is less common for “How was your day?” to be answered with “The first T-Rex fossil was discovered in 1902 by Barnum Brown.”

Asperger’s Syndrome (AS), is a puzzling, often frustrating childhood disorder. Though it is referred to as a “childhood disorder,” many kids with AS carry it into adulthood. Asperer’s Syndrome mimics Autism in many ways, so profoundly that it is grouped as an Autism Spectrum Disorder. Asperger’s Syndrome was discovered in 1944 by Hans Asperger, an Austrian pediatrician who followed the peculiar development of four children in his care. These children had seemingly normal intelligence, but they “Lacked nonverbal communication skills, failed to demonstrate empathy with their peers, and were physically clumsy. Their way of speaking was either disjointed or overly formal, and their all-absorbing interest in a single topic dominated their conversations.” Hans Asperger’s findings were later recognized by English doctor Lorna Wing in 1981, and Asperger’s Syndrome became an official diagnosis in 1992 when it was added to medical publications as a legitimate and serious disorder.

So if AS is on the Autism Spectrum, doesn’t that make it Autism? Not necessarily; while the disorders are very similar, they are also quite different. Asperger’s Syndrome is found to be caused by abnormal embryonic cell migration during fetal development that affects the brain and its “wiring.” Like children with classic autism, kids with AS have difficulty making eye-contact, understanding social cues, and trouble expanding their interests (amongst other things). However, unlike Autistic children, they do have a genuine desire to interact with others and be a part of a social group; they simply lack the understanding to do so. Children with AS also typically have accompanying disorders, such as ADHD, that make focus and self-control even more difficult.

Many children with AS are like Alex, seemingly little professors about a random topic. Sometimes, that can lead to figures such as Albert Einstein, who is often cited as an Asperger’s success story. Though living with AS can be incredibly challenging for children and their families, it is important to remember that challenges can be conquered, and life and social skills can be improved. Fortunately, the quirks of AS such as obsessive knowledge of animals or electricity can greatly benefit children as adults in the workplace. With understanding and early intervention, individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome can be productive, contributing members of society.