- Reading Body Language is a Challenge for Aspergers - John Evans
As a part of the autism spectrum, people with Asperger’s Syndrome are generally considered to be high functioning in comparison to those with other pervasive development disorders. This neurological disorder was named for the Austrian pediatrician, Dr. Hans Asperger, who first described the disorder in 1944.
Characteristics of Asperger’s Syndrome
Common characteristics of those with Asperger's include the following:
- limited interests
- repetitive rituals or routines
- intense preoccupation with a certain subject to the exclusion of other activities
- inappropriate social and emotional behavior
- inability to interact with peers successfully
- speech and language peculiarities that may include speaking in monotone or in an overly formal manner
- taking expressions and figures of speech literally
- clumsiness and uncoordinated motor movements
- problems with nonverbal communication
- inappropriate or limited facial expressions
Asperger’s Syndrome in Plain English
More than a simple list of symptoms, people with Asperger’s Syndrome are generally found to have high intelligence and impeccable language skills, although conversation skills are often lacking. Many people with Asperger’s Syndrome have trouble with appropriate eye contact, may come across as pedantic or condescending, and may have difficulty understanding figures of speech and sarcasm due to a tendency to take words literally. Children with AS may learn to read earlier than their peers.
Impairment in social interaction often shows itself as a failure to develop age-appropriate friendships. Young children, for example, may prefer to pursue friendships with older children and adults whose vocabularies are more sophisticated than that of their peers. People with Asperger’s Syndrome may not display what is considered appropriate body language, and they may have trouble reading body language in other people. They may also have difficulty understanding social cues and conventions such as small talk or not bringing up subjects that make other people uncomfortable.
People with Asperger's Syndrome often prefer routine and consistency, and may show significant distress when their routine is disrupted. Friends and family may notice that people with Asperger’s Syndrome are “obsessed” with a certain subject or object, intensely focused on certain activities like computer games, collecting stuffed animals, or reading comic books. It can be very difficult to get someone’s attention when they are interacting with the object of their interest. Additionally, Asperger’s Syndrome offer lends itself to great attention to detail without noticing the big picture.
Facts About Asperger’s Syndrome
Parents of children with Asperger’s Syndrome will often sense that something is unusual about their child by the time the child turns three years old, and some children may exhibit signs as early as infancy. Motor development delays are often the first indicators that a child may have the disorder, as early language skills are often not affected. It is estimated that two out of every 10,000 children may have Asperger’s Syndrome, and boys are three to four times more likely to have AS than girls are.
Asperger’s Syndrome is mainly diagnosed in children, but more adult patients with Asperger’s are being diagnosed as they seek help for depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and other mental health conditions. Some parents may seek diagnosis after recognizing similarities from their own childhoods once their children receive an Asperger’s diagnosis.
Secondary mood disorders are not uncommon with people who have Asperger’s Syndrome. Patients may seek treatment for anxiety, sadness, or anger, as they often have difficulty managing the expression of their emotions.
Sources:
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke: Asperger Syndrome Fact Sheet
- OASIS @ MAAP: What is Asperger Syndrome?
Christina Gleason - Christina Gleason is the founder of Phenomenal Content LLC, providing online copywriting services for Web content. She is a happily ...
