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Article Provided by The ARC of Georgia
Fact Sheet
What distinguishes Asperger's Disorder from autism is the severity of
the symptoms and the absence of language delays. Children with
Asperger's Disorder may be only mildly affected and frequently have
good language and cognitive skills. To many people, a child with
Asperger's Disorder may just seem different.
Children with autism frequently act uninterested in others. This is
not the case with Asperger's Disorder. Individuals with Asperger's
Disorder usually want to fit in; they just don't know how to do it.
They may be socially awkward, not understanding conventional social
rules, or may show a lack of empathy. They may have limited eye
contact, seem to be unengaged in a conversation, and not understand
the use of gestures.
They may seem to be obsessive about their interests. They may have
amazing memories of facts, such as baseball statistics or Latin names
of flowers, but they have difficulty with abstract concepts.
One of the major differences between Asperger's Disorder and autism is
that, by definition, there is no speech delay in Asperger's. Children
with Asperger's Disorder frequently have good language skills; they
simply use language in different ways. Speech patterns may be unusual,
lacking inflection or having a rhythmic nature. Speech may be formal
and too loud or high pitched. Children with Asperger's Disorder may
not understand the subtleties of language, such as irony and humor, or
may not understand the give and take nature of a conversation.
While some individuals with Autism experience mental retardation, by
definition a person with Asperger's Disorder cannot possess a
"clinically significant" cognitive delay. Not all individuals with
autism have mental retardation. Some do and some do not; but, a person
with Asperger's Disorder possesses average to above average
intelligence.
While motor difficulties are not a specific criteria for Asperger's,
children with Asperger's Disorder frequently have motor skill delays
and may appear clumsy or awkward.
Helpful Information
Diagnosis of Asperger's Disorder (AD) is on the increase although it is
unclear whether it is more prevalent or whether more professionals are
detecting the disorder.
The DSM-IV criteria for AD specifies that the individual must have
"severe and sustained impairment in social interaction, and the
development of restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests
and activities," that must "cause clinically significant impairment in
social, occupational or other important areas of functioning."
The commonly described clinical features of the syndrome include:
a. Seeming lack of empathy;
b. Inappropriate, one-sided social interaction, with little ability to form
friendships and consequent social isolation;
c. Pedantic (like a “little professor”) and monotonic speech;
d. Poor nonverbal communication (doesn’t seem to understand gestures
or “read” peoples’ expressions);
e. Intense absorption in very narrow topics such as the weather, facts
about TV stations, railway tables or maps, which are learned in rote
fashion and reflect poor understanding, conveying the impression of
eccentricity; and
f. Clumsy and ill-coordinated movements and odd posture.
It was originally thought that AD occurred only in boys, but reports of
girls with the syndrome have now appeared. However, boys are
significantly more likely to be affected.
The first step to diagnosis is an assessment, including a
developmental history and observation. This should be done by medical
professionals experienced with Autism and PDDs. If Asperger's Disorder
or high functioning autism is suspected, the diagnosis of autism will
generally be ruled out first. Early diagnosis is important; children
with Asperger's Disorder who are diagnosed and treated early in life
have an increased chance of being successful in school and eventually
living independently.
Resources
Autism Society of America
Yale University Child Development Clinic - Asperger's Syndrome
Guidelines for Assessment and Diagnosis
Online Asperger Information and Support
Asperger’s Syndrome
American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
MAAP
Services for the Autism and Asperger Syndrome
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The impact of a
disability can always be lessened to some degree by early intervention. |
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