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Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is the term used to describe a group of disorders, including Autism and Asperger Syndrome. Characteristics vary from one person to another on the spectrum.

What is Asperger Syndrome? (AS)

This condition was first identified over 50 years ago by Hans Asperger a Viennese Paediatrician.

Aspergers is a lifelong developmental disorder that affects the way a person communicates and relates to people around them. In addition there may be sensory, motor and organisational difficulties. AS is a hidden disability and it affects how a person thinks, feels and behaves and how they make sense of the world. Characteristics vary from person to person.

It affects 4 x as many males as females. Statistics show approximately 1 in 66 people are affected. People with Aspergers have an average or above average IQ. Children and people with Aspergers may also have a co-existing condition such as ADHD, ADD, OCD, ODD, Dyslexia and Dyspraxia. These contribute to the everyday difficulties they already have to cope with daily.

All people with Asperger Syndrome have impairments in three main areas:

• Social Interaction/Relationships
• Social Communication
• Social Imagination/Theory of Mind (TOM)

This is known as "The Triad of Impairment".

The Triad of Impairments

Social Interaction/Relationships

The person will have difficulty with social relationships. They may appear aloof and indifferent to other people and their views. They want to be sociable but don’t know how. They have difficulty making friends and maintaining relationships.

Friendships may be one sided. Children with Asperger Syndrome are desperate to be included by peers but often lack the social skills to enable this to happen successfully. Children can often be the victims of bullying. They are often lonely individuals who have very low self-esteem. Often work better on their own, than with others, as may have problems working co-operatively.

They do not understand unwritten social rules such as standing too close to others or use of inappropriate topics of conversation. They find other people unpredictable and confusing.

Poor eye contact can give others the impression of them not being interested. The opposite can also apply and they may stare for long periods of time. When under stress they may react emotionally rather than logically i.e. temper outbursts/rage.

Social Communication

The person will have difficulty with both verbal and non-verbal communication. They may have difficulty processing and retaining verbal instructions and information. They need longer to process information and may be slow in responding to questions. Answers are often only Yes or No. They do not see the need to add any more to the response. Literal interpretation of language can be a huge problem for them. They have problems understanding jokes, sarcasm or metaphors.

Their voices often sound monotonous and their language pedantic and idiosyncratic. "Echolalia" may use complex words and sentences, but will not fully understand what they mean. They do not understand gestures, body language, facial expressions and tone of voice and are often unaware of their own facial expressions. A persons with AS may find it difficult to understand other peoples’ feelings and emotions. Whether others are happy, sad or angry.

Change of routine and managing unstructured parts of the day can be very disturbing for a person on the spectrum.

Social Imagination

People with AS may experience difficulty in their development of play and imagination. They may have a limited range of imaginative activities. These may be copied and repeated continually. Repetitive activities, that appears to have no purpose, such as lining up toys, collecting and organising things.

They follow their own rules and rituals i.e. tapping door when entering or leaving a room, fastening and unfastening coat etc. Most people with Asperger Syndrome need a structured environment to help create a sense of order to their lives. They love routine and unpredictable changes can cause them stress and anxiety.

They have difficulties applying knowledge and skills across settings and with different people. They have difficulty understanding that other people may have different points of view from their own. They can appear egocentric as their own needs are their priority.

Things need to be logical and meaningful to them or they will not engage with the topic/conversation/task. They do not have intuitive knowledge and need to be taught. For them, it is like seeing things for the first time every time!

Sensory Impairments

It is common for people with Asperger Syndrome to experience difficulty with sensory processing. Their senses can be hyper (over) or hypo (under) sensitive. Any of their senses may be affected, i.e. sight, smell, touch, taste and sound.

When affected this can lead to their senses being over or under stimulated and may result in anxiety and/or anger outbursts. It is essential to identify these sensory stimuli "Triggers" to help prevent this. Because they are mainly visually orientated, this is often the first sense to be over stimulated.

Positive Traits

Remember having Asperger Syndrome is not the end of the world. Turn their traits into strengths that they can be proud of.

People with Aspergers are:

• Honest
• Dedicated
• Reliable
• Determined
• Knowledgeable

...to name but a few!

Tony Attwood wrote:

"A different way of approaching life, one that is dominated by the pursuit of knowledge and truth".