(Henderson, 2001) Toth & King (2008) explain that within the past two decades, a growing body of research has attempted to address the diagnostic and phenotypic ambiguity between AS and high-functioning autism. Some authors believe that the neuropsychological and behavioral profiles of AS and high-functioning autism differ, while others have argued that there is little empirical evidence for a distinction between these two disorders. Researchers conducted a comprehensive study that examined differences based on external criteria (cognitive / intellectual profiles, executive function, language, current symptoms, early history, and course of illness) as opposed to criteria involving the definition of the two syndromes. They found few group differences in current symptom presentation and cognitive function but many differences in early history. Individuals with AS outperformed those with high-functioning autism on the comprehension subtest of the WISC-III and in expressive language ability, but there...
Early history variables were best able to differentiate the two disorders. Compared with children with AS, those with high-functioning autism were more impaired in early language development and behavior over the preschool period, had more severe lifetime symptoms, and had a greater need for specialized education services; showing that little difference exists, in relation to cognition and AS.
Asperger Syndrome: Symptoms, Causes and Effects Symptoms Symptoms at birth At Six to Eighteen Months At Three to Eleven Years At 12+ Years Causes of Asperger syndrome Treatments for Asperger Syndrome Students with Asperger Syndrome Adults with Asperger syndrome Violence in Asperger Syndrome Hang Asperger, a pediatrician, researched on Asperger syndrome but Lorna Wing, a psychiatrist and physician, was the one who familiarized the world with Asperger syndrome (Lyons, Fitzgerald, & Fitzgerald, 2005). In 1994, Asperger researched on four children who
Most normal people that are not aware of the condition of one suffering from the Asperger syndrome might regard him or her as being insensitive. One of the best methods to instruct Asperger syndrome sufferers how to behave from an early age would be the telling of various social stories relating to activities performed by the respective sick persons. (Frank J. Sansosti, Kelly a. Powell-Smith 2006) Asperger's syndrome sufferers are not
Treatment Most forms of treatment for as individuals involve explicitly teaching them how to behave specific social situations in ways that others might take for granted. "While social skills instruction is an important strategy for promoting social success, some critics argue that it merely teaches individuals 'how to' act in specific social situations, but not how to generate any kind of 'social thinking' or problem-solving about how to act in novel
Another important defining characteristic of AS is that people who seem to have it are often gifted intellectually, While only a small percentage of individuals with autism are considered to be high functioning (without mental retardation), all children with AS have average to above average intelligence. In fact, many with AS may be intellectually gifted, which may mask the many difficulties they experience from adults and peers alike (Wing, 1998).
The AS person has often spent an inordinate amount of time fixated on one particular (often peculiar) topic, and when that person is in a social environment, he or she tends to ramble on about the topic and that one-sided rambling is more important to that AS person than any other activity in a social setting, Woodbury-Smith writes on page 4. According to Woodbury-Smith, as the AS person gets older,
It is estimated that as many as 50% of all adults with Asperger Syndrome are never correctly evaluated or diagnosed, thus these non-diagnosed Aspergers are seen as eccentric or 'just different,' or they may even receive other psychiatric diagnoses (Bauer 1996). Bauer claims to have encountered several such individuals who have been able to make use of their other skills to achieve success, both personally and professionally. In fact, many
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