Asperger's Syndrome
When a parent, sibling, loved one, a friend, a teacher, a neighbor, or just a casual acquaintance of a person with Asperger's syndrome wants to know more about the specifics of this health problem, one of the most often quoted and referenced authorities to turn to is Dr. Tony Attwood. That's because Attwood is the author of several books on the subject - notably the high respected book, Asperger's Syndrome: A Guide for Parents and Professions - and is a practicing clinical psychologist with more than 25 years' experience treating individuals with Asperger's syndrome. Attwood also works with families of persons with Asperger's (also called Asperger) syndrome, and, importantly, also presents strategies for dealing with the problem and its manifestations.
What is Asperger's Syndrome (AS)?
Hans Asperger of Austria began to recognize this disability in 1944, but it did not become an item of medical interest in the English-speaking community until a paper was published in the 1980s, opening eyes and doors to understanding AS.
It is considered a disorder at the higher end of the autistic continuum, but it also very misunderstood by those outside the medical profession. Children with AS are "typically viewed as eccentric and peculiar" by their classmates, according to an article in Intervention in School & Clinic (Williams, 2001). The AS child's social skills tend to be inept; this often causes a cruel response from their classmates and peers, according to Ms. Williams. The AS child - most often, boys are victims of AS - lacks understanding when it comes to human relationships and the rules of social convention. AS children tend to be "na ve and conspicuously lacking in common sense...[and] their inflexibility and inability to copy with change causes the AS child to be easily stressed and emotionally vulnerable."
Attwood in his above-mentioned book points out that quite apart from seeming to be mentally deficient, an AS...
They are as follows:
1) AS children worry obsessively when they do not understand even minimal change, when whey do not know what to expect, and when they are stressed out (which they are quite easily). 2) Children suffering from AS often demonstrate an inability to grasp the rules of social interaction; [an example (Barnhill, 2001) would be a teacher notes that her student continues to "push rules to the limit" and insists that "ass" is a three-letter word and therefore cannot be a cuss word because they are all "four-letter" words; instead of writing the student off as rude, the teacher should consider that the boy has AS, a developmental disability]; Attwood says "they perceive the world differently from everyone else." 3) The children suffering from AS tend to have a restricted range of interest, focusing on seemingly eccentric things, preoccupied with "odd, intense fixations (sometimes obsessively connecting unusual things)...[and] tend to relentlessly lecture on areas of their interest, ask repetitive questions...[and] have trouble letting go of ideas" (Barnhill, 2001). 4) Children with AS generally show poor concentration skills, very often…
