What is Asperger's Syndrome? How is it diagnosed?
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Asperger Syndrome or (Asperger's Disorder) is a neurobiological disorder named for a Viennese physician, Hans Asperger, who in 1944 published a paper which described a pattern of behaviors in several young boys who had normal intelligence and language development, but who also exhibited autistic-like behaviors and marked deficiencies in social and communication skills. In spite of the publication of his paper in the 1940's, it wasn't until 1994 that Asperger Syndrome was added to the DSM IV and only in the past few years has AS been recognized by professionals and parents. \n\nIndividuals with AS can exhibit a variety of characteristics and the disorder can range from mild to severe. Persons with AS show marked deficiencies in social skills, have difficulties with transitions or changes and prefer sameness. They often have obsessive routines and may be preoccupied with a particular subject of interest. They have a great deal of difficulty reading nonverbal cues (body language) and very often the individual with AS has difficulty determining proper body space. Often overly sensitive to sounds, tastes, smells, and sights, the person with AS may prefer soft clothing, certain foods, and be bothered by sounds or lights no one else seems to hear or see. It's important to remember that the person with AS perceives the world very differently. Therefore, many behaviors that seem odd or unusual are due to those neurological differences and not the result of intentional rudeness or bad behavior, and most certainly not the result of "improper parenting". \n\nBy definition, those with AS have a normal IQ and many individuals (although not all), exhibit exceptional skill or talent in a specific area. Because of their high degree of functionality and their naiveté, those with AS are often viewed as eccentric or odd and can easily become victims of teasing and bullying. While language development seems, on the surface, normal, individuals with AS often have deficits in pragmatics and prosody. Vocabularies may be extraordinarily rich and some children sound like "little professors." However, persons with AS can be extremely literal and have difficulty using language in a social context. \n\nAt this time there is a great deal of debate as to exactly where AS fits. It is presently described as an autism spectrum disorder and Uta Frith, in her book AUTISM AND ASPERGER'S SYNDROME, described AS individuals as "having a dash of Autism". Some professionals feel that AS is the same as High Functioning Autism, while others feel that it is better described as a Nonverbal Learning Disability. AS shares many of the characteristics of PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder; Not otherwise specified), HFA, and NLD and because it was virtually unknown until a few years ago, many individuals either received an incorrect diagnosis or remained undiagnosed. For example, it is not at all uncommon for a child who was initially diagnosed with ADD or ADHD be re-diagnosed with AS. In addition, some individuals who were originally diagnosed with HFA or PDD-NOS are now being given the AS diagnosis and many individuals have a dual diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome and High Functioning Autism. \n\nFor your information, I've included below a copy of the DSM IV Description. In addition, I've also added a more down-to-earth description that was originally posted to the autism listserv. \n\nMore at the websites below. Lots of good sites for info. I knew someone (adult) w/Asperger's. They have no social cues so it makes it really hard to be around them or be friends.
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Autism is diagnosed in children with the use of various testing instruments - each instrument is generally appropriate for children of different ages and communication ability. Some common tests include the CHAT (Checklist for Autism in Toddlers), the ABC (Autism Behavior Checklist) and CARS (the Childhood Autism Rating Scale). \n\nI suspect that your physician has assessed your child with one or more of these instruments, and has referenced the "rating" that your child scored on the test.\n\nInterpretation of the number that you've reported would depend on the particular testing instrument that was used, so the best answer to your question can only come from a more detailed conversation with your doctor.\n\nYour doctor should be able to provide information to you in a manner that makes you feel that you completely understand the diagnosis, and you should feel comfortable that your doctor is going to serve as your best and most effective resource in understanding and responding to your child's diagnosis. If your doctor does not make you feel comfortable in asking questions, I would recommend that you seek out the advice of another doctor whose patient skills might be more conducive to your comfort and understanding. You will be your son's most important caregiver, and you can only help him thrive if you are thoroughly knowledgeable about his condition.\n\nVery best of luck and patience to you.
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Autism is NOT a mutation in the brain. When looking at fMRI scans and regular MRI scans, you will NOT find some defining anomoly characteristic of autism. \n\nAutism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life and is the result of a neurological disorder that affects the normal functioning of the brain, impacting development in the areas of social interaction and communication skills. Both children and adults with autism typically show difficulties in verbal and non-verbal communication, social interactions, and leisure or play activities. One should keep in mind however, that autism is a spectrum disorder and it affects each individual differently and at varying degrees - this is why early diagnosis is so crucial. By learning the signs, a child can begin benefiting from one of the many specialized intervention programs (see treatment and education).\n\nAnd you are right, it should not be considered a disorder. It only is due to social standards created today. Austistic people are just different. They use their brain differently, and sometimes very uniquely. Like the Rain Man.
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I have a grandson with high-function autism.  They thought at first that he had Aspergers, but now they don't think he does.  why?
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aspergers is the correct spelling and there is a wealth of information out there on it.  It is a form of autism I believe.
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I'm not quite sure what you're asking here. I don't know whether you're trying to figure out why some people are autistic, the history of autism, how autism originated, or something else entirely, so I'll try to answer all three briefly.\n\nAutism was described in the 1940s by both Leo Kanner and Hans Asperger. Leo Kanner's account of autism was accepted fairly early into the DSM as autistic disorder, while Asperger's account entered the DSM as Asperger's disorder in 1994. Autism existed long before that however - it is involved in the changeling myths of European folklore, plus scientists like Newton may have been autistic. It didn't just suddenly appear in 1940 because of thimerosal in vaccines. It's probably been part of human variation for hundreds of thousands of years.\n\nAutism appears to be genetic. My family is fairly typical of families of autistics in that I'm autistic, my parents display autistic traits, and I have relatives on the spectrum. Autism isn't mercury poisoning, and it isn't a behavioral disorder caused by bad parenting. It also isn't gluten and casein allergies, though we tend to have a higher incidence of things like food allergies than the general non-autistic population. The fact that some of us get less stimmy and more able to learn after we have these foods eliminated from our diets doesn't mean that we're no longer autistic, it means that we're less miserable from physical problems.
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My Uncle and his two sons have aspergers\n\nThey are all quite brilliant in their own ways, but have some quirks socially and tend to be messy and a little scatterbrained at times\n\nAspergers tends to be much milder and managable than autism\nYou can basically live a normal life \n\nSometimes we miss a blessing in disguise\nI hope you enjoy your gifted child
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Absolutely: having one 'disorder' (I'm hesitant to call autism, especially high-functioning as yours obviously is, a disorder as this is offensive to many people with autism!) does not mean you cannot have another. Here is very very recent review to confirm this:\n\nStewart ME, Barnard L, Pearson J, Hasan R, O'Brien G, 2006\n\nDepression is common in autism and Asperger syndrome, but despite this, there has been little research into this issue. This review considers the current literature on the prevalence, presentation, treatment and assessment of depression in autism and Asperger syndrome. There are diagnostic difficulties when considering depression in autism and Asperger syndrome, as the characteristics of these disorders, such as social withdrawal and appetite and sleep disturbance, are also core symptoms of depression. Impaired verbal and non-verbal communication can mask the symptoms of depression. Symptoms associated with autism and Asperger syndrome such as obsessionality and self-injury may be increased during an episode of depression. There is a clear need to develop specific tools both for diagnostic purposes and for measurement of depression in autism and Asperger syndrome in order to help alleviate the distress caused by this treatable illness.\n\nI believe you can get the full-text of that artical on www.pubmed.org http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=16522713&query_hl=69&itool=pubmed_docsum\n but you may have to pay... try searching the web?\n\nAnyway, I'm pretty sure that treatment will be the basic SSRI meds, but I would of course recommend psychological methods first- much more effective in the long run, and less likely to have side-effects! Cognitive-behavioural therapy works wonders...\n\nAll the best, I hope that helps!
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I'm going to go out on a limb and guess you are referring to Asperger's Syndrome.  This is a neurological disorder that is sometimes compared to Autism.  There are many, many listings on the web.  O.A.S.I.S. [http://www.udel.edu/bkirby/asperger] is a parents' resource group you might find helpful.  If Asperger's is the diagnosis you should find a copy of the book "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400032717/sr=8-1/qid=1143526150/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-2335561-3963025?%5Fencoding=UTF8].  It's a wonderful, clever story and the hero happens to be a boy with Asperger's Syndrome.  It presents a very human picture of the boy and his approach to everyday life.
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Surely you mean autistic.Autism is a disorder characterized by great difficulty in communicating and having normal social relationships.Though autistic people  sometimes are unusually gifted.
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Hi, I think autism and sensory disorders (trouble with balance) are inherited because quite a few people in my family are just like the people you are talking about. It could very well be Asperger's Syndrome because both boys and girls can have this and they do include all the problems that you mentioned. However...Asperger's Syndrome has no facial changes. It could be a different syndrome closely related though...lots of genetic syndromes can have symptoms that are very closely related to autism. Some syndromes even include what is called autistic like behaviors. Have you ever thought of getting the family...all of them tested at a geneticist? Also it could be a metabolic problem so you could also have everyone tested with a specialist in metabolics. The tests are usually just a simple blood test...nothing scary or anything. Good Luck!
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Two of my sons have Asperger's Syndrome. It's not a disease.\n\nAsperger's Syndrome is very high functioning austism. People who have Asperger's (also called Aspie's or AS) are generally socially clumsy or inhibited or immature for their age. \n\nAspies tend to be obsessed with one or two things that interest them and not much else. For example, my son Ken is fascinated with electronics. He can tell you how to build a diode, but getting him to remember to bathe can be a real chore.\n\nAsperger's generally affects far more boys than girls, the reason for this is unknown. Also, kids with Asperger's are NOT mentally retarded in any way, in fact, quite the opposite, on IQ tests, these kids score in genius levels. Example, my boys have IQs of 153 and 147 respectively.\n\nSocial interaction is very difficult for kids with Asperger's. They tend to bore other kids because of their single minded obsessions, and thus get picked on a lot. They also get easily bored or frustrated with other kids because they cannot understand why the other kids could care less about the difference between the wing design on one sort of plane versus another.\n\nAlso, people with AS have a hard time understanding body language and facial expressions. This makes it difficult for them to realize that other people want to end a conversational topic, or have a turn to talk, or whatever.\n\nYour day care provider is probably following the advice of her son's autism specialist in trying to create as stress free an environment as possible for her son to be in. He probably comes home from school completely emotionally overloaded and walking into a house full of yet more children probably overwhelms him to the point that he can't do much of anything but sit there staring at the wall, entering what in our house we call "shut down" mode.\n\nI hope this helps you understand Asperger's a little bit more. If not, you can get more information at Wikipedia:\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asperger's_syndrome
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Most people with Aspergers, also, have multiple diagnosises.\nhttp://www.aspergers.com/ This site should help answer any further questions you may have.
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That's a good question. I have seen many kids with a diagnosis of childhood or developmental apraxia who are non verbal and have autism spectrum type behaviors. I am qualified to diagnose verbal apraxia and have never been able to do so with a non verbal child. The nature of the speech errors need to be observed to make that diagnosis. I do know that a child can have a diagnosis of both. If there is a concern that the child has autism, look in the DSM IV and read the criteria\n\nhttp://www.autism-biomed.org/dsm-iv.htm\n\nAsperger Syndrome is and autism spectrum disorder. These kids are usually more verbal, some may not even have a language disorder. They are mostly impaired in social skills.\n\nAlthough developmental/childhood apraxia/dyspraxia can co occur with and autism spectrum disorder, they are not related. They are different disorders altogether.
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By most definitions it is more accurately considered a disability rather than a disease. It can be distinguished in many ways from mental illness, such as schizophrenia or depression. There is no "cure" for an established disability, though with appropriate support and teaching, most individuals can learn to do many things.\n\nThere are thousands of agencies in the United States that provide assistance for people with developmental disabilities. They include state-run, for-profit, and non-profit, privately run agencies. Within one agency there could be departments that include fully staffed residential homes, day habilitation programs that approximate schools, workshops wherein people with disabilities can obtain jobs, programs that assist people with developmental disabilities in obtaining jobs in the community, programs that provide support for people with developmental disabilities who have their own apartments, programs that assist them with raising their children, and many more. There are also many agencies and programs for parents of children with developmental disabilities.\n\nAlthough there is no specific medication for "mental retardation", many people with developmental disabilities have further medical complications and may take several medications. Beyond that there are specific programs that people with developmental disabilities can take part in wherein they learn basic life skills. These "goals" may take a much longer amount of time for them to accomplish, but the ultimate goal is independence. This may be anything from independence in tooth brushing to an independent residence. People with developmental disabilities learn throughout their lives and can obtain many new skills even late in life with the help of their families, caregivers, clinicians and the people who coordinate the efforts of all of these people.\n\nAnd please don't call people retarded. Some people call me retarded because I'm a little different. I have Asperger's Syndrome(A type of high-functioning autism).I went to a normal school and I have a normal life. \nPeople with Asperger's Syndrome have normal or above average intellectual capacity, with atypical or poorly developed social skills often with emotional/social development or integration happening later than usual as a result. Asperger called children with AS "little professors" because of their ability to talk about their favourite subject in great detail.
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I agree, the AQ and other similar tests are the most prevalent. You can download one yourself at http://www.autismresearchcentre.com/tests/default.asp\n\nto look at, very interesting, and there are other good indicators at that address as well, notably the checklist for autism in toddlers (CHAT)\n\nAll the best, if you are facing autism I wish you all the luck!
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There are a couple of basic behaviors that autism spectrum disorders bring out in a person:\n\n1) Not understanding social cues - you have to let him know VERY clearly if you want or don't want something.  Any eye rolling, finger tapping, or shoulder shrugs may not even register with him.\n\n2) Obsession with specific topics - he probably has a few things that he could talk on and on and on about.  He will definitely have done his research and be hungry for any new information on whatever it is that interests him.\n\n3) When stressed, his ability to negotiate may be very limited - Stressful situations where a decision is called for (especially those where having to be rushed is part of it) could suddenly switch him into "overwhelmed" mode.  Until he's had a chance to slow down and calm down he may need very specific and clear requests made of him.\n\nAll this being said, a lot of your ability in able to handle a relationship with him will be in your acceptance that these things are NOT intentional for him.  He really is not TRYING to be annoying.\n\nWhat will help both of you is to have a high level of awareness and information around autism.  If he has acceptance of and knowledge about his autism, he will be more open to feedback and understanding of what helps him when he's stressed, etc.  Keep in mind that autism has NOTHING to do with a lack of intelligence.  He's probably very smart and able to put the pieces together if he's got specific and clear information.\n\nI am almost finished with my Master's degree in Counseling Psychology.  I also have a 13 y.o. daughter with autism spectrum disorder.  While she is very enjoyable, funny, smart, sweet, and creative - she can also get on my nerves.  I sometimes need to let her know that I need some time to myself or just need some silence.\n\nGood luck to the both of you.  I'm sure he's a fascinating guy, and hope the two of you can talk about and plan ahead how to cope with the annoying times.