Asperger Syndrome

Asperger syndrome is a lifelong disorder that affects how a person understands the world, processes the information they receive and interacts with others.

It is just like classic autism a “spectrum disorder” because it affects people in many different ways and to varying degrees.

Asperger’s syndrome is a mild variation of autism, which affects mainly the ability of the person to communicate and social relationships. It is in diffuse developmental disorders and for a long time there have been disagreements about whether it is a particular disorder or is autism in a light form.

It was first included as a separate syndrome in 1994 in the American Psychiatric Society Manual (APA, 1994).

The syndrome took its name from psychiatrist Hans Asperger who in 1944 in Vienna noticed the extreme difficulty of some adolescents to socially integrate within the group. Asperger’s work was translated into English in the early 1970s, and the syndrome began to be recognized as a separate entity in the late 1980s.

Individuals of any ethnicity, geographical area, social class, economic status and religion are affected by Asperger syndrome. However, men are more prone to this than women. The reason for this is still unknown.

Certainly, Asperger syndrome is not due to an individual’s upbringing or socio-economic status, and it is certainly not caused by the patient’s fault.

The main features of the syndrome, which we encounter in autism, are:

• Difficulty in communication.
• Deficits in the mutual social transaction.
• Difficulty in creating social relationships.
• Limited repertoire of interests.
• Recurring activities and movements.
• A monotonous and meticulous way of speaking.

This disorder is different from autism, mainly because there is no general delay or slowdown in the child’s linguistic development or development of cognitive functions.

Usually, Asperger children have normal and superior intelligence (with verbal intelligence to superior to the practice of intelligence), have normal speech development, use grammar early in their speech, have special interests and inclinations, and with proper support go well enough in school.

In addition, the age of onset of the syndrome is later detected than autism, between 5 and 8 years of age.