Emily Comp: Asperger's Syndrome Research Paper

Diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome can be a challenge. An interview with a clinician must be conducted, including the family of the person being diagnosed. Also, an observation is conducted in two different social settings (i.e.: school and home) (Stoddart, 2009). The criterion to be diagnosed is straight forward. First, there must be a severe impairment in social interaction. For example, no eye to eye contact, posture, does not develop peer relationships, and not bringing up interests to other people (Stoddart, 2009). Second, there must be stereotyped behaviors. For example, not being able to adhere to a random routine or change of plans, hand flapping, and playing with parts of objects, not the object itself. Thirdly, the impairments cause strain on social, and other areas of functioning. Fourth, the child had no delay in speech. This is the difference between a child with autism and Asperger’s. Children with Asperger’s have no delay in speech and usually are advanced in this area. Lastly, the child has no cognitive delay. For example, self-help abilities, and adapting behaviors. Usually these children have very high IQs (Stoddart, 2009). The major criterion is the social impairment. Asperger’s Syndrome is very focused around social behaviors. These children do not socially interact,

In the article, “How to Speak Asperger’s,” by Fran Goldfarb and Guthrie Devine, the authors contend that learning to communicate with people with Asperger’s Syndrome is an important skill. The authors introduce the article by providing a narrative about Goldfarb’s son. The point of her narrative is that communication is misunderstood with people with Asperger’s Syndrome (AS). The author, Fran Goldfarb, explains how her son misunderstands communication with his teachers, and how punishment is ineffective, because of his Asperger’s. The authors start by explaining why communication is very complex. To begin with, people with AS struggle with communication, because of their lack of social cues. They tend to miss irony, humor, and they take everything literally. That’s why people with AS don’t understand communication and everything is a struggle for them.

Even as adults, sometimes we tend to question whether or not there is something more to us. In years past, and often still is, the subject of autism was unknown, and often misunderstood. Many times autistic tendencies are just dismissed as either bad behaviors or defiance. Many times the individual also has an underlying condition such as attention deficit disorder. This article sheds some light on that subject.

Asperger’s syndrome is a developmental syndrome. It is said that every 2 out of 10,000 children are affected by this disorder. Asperger’s is mostly diagnosed in young children. Parents usually recognize symptoms of this disorder in their kids around the time they turn 3 years old. Asperger’s is sometimes considered a form of autism. I find this syndrome to be very intriguing. I’m going to enlighten you with more information about Asperger’s and a few real life cases of it.

The prognosis for the individual with ASD is dependent on the severity of the disorder. In Asperger’s syndrome, a mild form of ASD, the symptoms of shyness and impaired social interaction are present. However, in more

Children with Asperger’s Syndrome have developmental characteristics that cause challenges when growing up. They might develop speech that has peculiarities such as speaking in an overly formal manner. Children might also revolve many of their conversations around their few topics of interest. Many children with Asperger 's usually do not understand what is socially appropriate in a conversation. If asked about how they are doing, a child with Asperger 's might respond with a long reaction about their day.

While children with Asperger’s Syndrome have an average to above average intelligence and normal cognitive abilities, they unfortunately suffer with impaired social skills. An effective treatment program will have to be tailored to fit the specific child’s Asperger’s in order for the child to be successful in managing his or her own behaviors. This form of treatment is run by a psychologist, counselor, speech pathologist, or social worker, these therapies are invaluable ways to build social skills and the ability to read verbal and non-verbal cues that is often lacking in those with Asperger's. (WebMD, 2013) Without the implementation of the appropriate treatment needed for the lack of social skills as a child, these deficits will continue into adulthood and affect societal and professional performance. According to Szatmari, Bartolucci & Bremner (1989), “Adults with ASD are much more likely than the general population to be unemployed or underemployed and much less likely to have satisfying social relationships” (Szatmari, Bartolucci & Bremner, 1989, Para. 3). The results of this study may have had something to do with the lack of treatment in children with Asperger’s. Even though there is not a cure for this syndrome, understanding the multiple treatment options can reduce the stigma and inaccurate labeling of children with ASD.

Asperger’s Syndrome is found under Autistic Spectrum Disorders which has certain determined types of developmental delays such as social interaction, communication, and stereotypic behavior. Under ASD you will also find disorders such as Rett’s Disorder, Childhood Disintegration Disorder, and

Hans Asperger, a pediatrician from Austria, began to study a group of children at his clinic in 1944. He noticed that the young boys he was studying were clumsy, lacked social skills, and did not understand nonverbal communication. Asperger’s syndrome (AS), named after Doctor Hans Asperger, is a developmental disorder. Research by Woodbury-Smith and Volkmar (2009), claim that AS was originally thought of as a less severe form of Autism, in which the individual has higher linguistic ability but still lacks social skills. Many researches now consider AS an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). However, it is disputed amongst researchers as to whether it is explicit from High Functioning Autism (HFA). Many characteristics of AS and HFA are

Asperger’s Syndrome is a pervasive developmental disorder that often presents itself in children during the elementary years. It is characterized by deficits in social interactions, normal developing language, fixation with specific objects, and average or above average intellectual functioning. It is highly debated over whether Asperger’s Syndrome is qualitatively different than high functioning Autism. Symptoms of Asperger’s Syndrome will present themselves in a variety of ways that are unique to each individual child. Within

Asperger’s syndrome is on the higher-functioning spectrum of ASD. Individuals with ASP have similar social awkwardness as in other ASDs; however they are not as incapacitated. There are 3 main deficits that must be present in an individual for Autism to be diagnosed. As referenced in Woodbury-Smith and Volkmar 2009 article Asperger Syndrome: absence of cognitive, developmental or language delay in childhood. However, Asperger’s, is characterized by severe social impairments, such as restrictive and repetitive patterns of behavior, interests and activities [2]

A person with Asperger’s is a very intelligent individual that has no problem doing daily tasks. The area of life that a person with Asperger’s struggles with the most is socially. Those affected do not know how to socialize and carry on normal everyday conversations. Doctors often refer these people to therapy to teach them how to deal with everyday life and carry out normal tasks. Another disorder on the spectrum is Pervasive Development Disorder also known as PDD-NOS. Pervasive Development Disorder is more severe than Asperger’s, but not as severe as Autistic Disorder. These are just a few of the many diagnosis on the spectrum. (What is Autism, 2014) Those specific diagnoses were made using the previous version of the DSM. According to the DSM-5, all of these disorders would be more broadly stated as Autism Spectrum Disorder (Autism Spectrum Disorder,

Asperger’s Syndrome is a milder diagnosis on the autism spectrum. The main difference between autism and Asperger’s is that many individuals with Asperger’s show little to no delay in speech. They are often extremely intelligent, usually in one particular field. Despite this, individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome typically struggle socially and have other sensory issues liken to autism. To the untrained eye Asperger’s is less obvious than autism, but a professional can easily decipher the symptoms. Because it is less obvious, many children with Asperger’s syndrome are not diagnosed until age eight or nine as opposed to children with autism who are usually diagnosed by age three or four. Like autism, the label placed on an individual may change over the years because of improvements, but, like autism, it is also a life-long, biomedical condition (Grandin, 2011, p. 8).

In today’s society, many new discoveries having to do with the human brain and body are found every day. Autism and Asperger’s syndrome is just two examples of them. Not many people know what or if they have this disorder until it is properly diagnosed, each and every year. The real cause of autism is yet to be known, but better understanding the disorder might help. Someone who may not know much about what they are, could read and find out more about it. The goals of this paper is to help someone better understand the meaning of the disorders.

One of the more known disorders is Asperger’s syndrome. Asperger syndrome is an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) said to be on the “high functioning” end of the spectrum. People affected with this disorder, children and adults have problems with social communications and display a limited range of interests and/or repetitive actions. Motor development may be hindered, leading to clumsiness or uncoordinated in movements. Associated with those who are affected by other forms of ASD, people with Asperger syndrome do not have significant delays or problems in language or mental development. Some even demonstrate an advanced vocabulary, normally in a field of interest. Asperber’s is normally diagnosed when a child begins having trouble in