Asperger's Syndrome

Asperger's Syndrome (or Asperger Syndrome) is a variant within the autism spectrum disorder (ASD) characterised by repetitive patterns of interest and behaviour and difficulties with socializing. It is considered mild autism because Asperger's sufferers are able to function well enough linguistically and cognitively. Some other characteristics sometimes seen as symptomatic of Asperger's are physical clumsiness and atypical use of speech and language. This includes a high degree of literalism, poor ability to small talk and "obsession" with narrow conversation topics. You can read a comprehensive list of symptoms of Asperger's .^{1 2}

Asperger's Syndrome (sometimes abbreviated AS) is named after Hans Asperger, an Austrian pediatrician who first described symptomatic children in a 1944 paper.³ While diagnosis is essentially standardized today, there is no small amount of controversy surrounding aspects of the disorder. Some even argue that it is no different from high functioning autism (HFA).⁴ The scale of autism spectrum disorders is a relatively new concept in diagnosis as well.

In 2010, the journal Nature published a study showing that there are scores of genes related to the formation of autism; individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders do not share common mutations at all and instead have unique and varied genomes.⁵ One conclusion of the study was that underlying genetic determinants of autism are still largely unknown. Suffice it to say that there remains much about autism and Asperger's Syndrome that is poorly understood.

Screening and Diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome
Parents of children with Asperger's Syndrome can sometimes detect symptoms as early as 30 months although a percentage of children remain undiagnosed until grade school. Diagnosis of AS is also complicated by the fact that no reliable screening method distinguished Asperger's from other ASD's.¹

Therapies have been shown to have some effect on mitigating symptoms of Asperger's. These therapies are quite often grouped and may include any or all of the following: training social skills, cognitive behaviour therapy, medications, speech therapy, occupational therapy, others, all depending on the severity of the diagnosis, medical practice and disposition of parents, among other things.⁶

Long term prognosis
Some evidence indicates that as many as one in five children with Asperger's grow out of it or at least learn to manage symptoms and behaviours on their own as they grow into adulthood.⁷

Some argue that there really is no disorder and that all descriptions of it are merely a description of a distinct learning style or unique mode of being. Our understanding of Asperger's (and many other disabilities of learning and cognition) might in fact be compared to previous generations' notions of gender and sexuality.⁸

Regardless of current medical opinion (which varies widely) there are schools and institutions that have develop a deeper understanding of Asperger's Syndrome, its manifestations and they are trained and equipped to help children who have been diagnosed with Asperger's.

Listed below are schools who welcome students with Asperger's and offer extra help and support in integrating sufferers into the classroom and school life.

Disclaimer: information here is intended to be only broadly informational for students, parents and families seeking a cursory understanding of Asperger's Symptoms. Information here is not intended to replace the advice of medical professionals. We encourage any parent who suspects their child exhibits symptoms of Asperger's to seek professional guidance. Begin here to learn more about diagnosis
- JH

1. McPartland J, Klin A (2006). "Asperger's Syndrome". Adolesc Med Clin 17 (3): 771–88.
2. Aspergers.ca. Learn more about Asperger's symptoms
3. Asperger H; tr. and annot. Frith U (1991) [1944]. "'Autistic psychopathy' in childhood". In Frith U. Autism and Asperger syndrome. Cambridge University Press. pp. 37–92. ISBN 0-521-38608-X.
4. "Autism and Asperger syndrome: an overview". Rev Bras Psiquiatr 28 (suppl 1): S3–S11. doi:10.1590/S1516-44462006000500002. PMID 16791390.
5. Functional impact of global rare copy number variation in autism spectrum disorders
6. Wikipedia: Asperger Syndrome/ Therapies
7. Woodbury-Smith MR, Volkmar FR (2008). "Asperger syndrome". Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 18 (1): 2–11. doi:10.1007/s00787-008-0701-0. PMID 18563474.
8. "Reframing Asperger syndrome: lessons from other challenges to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual and ICIDH approaches". Disabil Soc 24 (3): 343–55. doi:10.1080/09687590902789511.