Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Characteristics of Asperger Syndrome

By Denise Smith

Many famous people are thought to have suffered from Asperger Syndrome. Among them, are such famous people as Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein. While they may have had a disability the same disability also made them brilliant.

Many people are only starting to learn about Asperger Syndrome. This is not surprising considering that autism has only been recognized for the last 60 years. Aspreger Syndrome is often difficult to diagnose. The fact that symptoms can often differ a great deal between individuals adds to the difficulty.

Most people affected by Asperger Syndrome have average or even high IQs and many are able to live and function on their own. In all their strangeness, they manage to create their own special niche and cope with whatever Asperger characteristics afflict them.

People with Aspergers Syndrome many times suffer from varying degrees of difficulty dealing with social interactions. Sufferers may have difficulty making eye contact and may monopolize a conversation with unrelated topics important only to them. A person with Asperger Syndrome may suddenly leave the room in the middle of a conversation simply because the urge strikes them.

Almost as an extension to social interaction, language skills are usually also impaired. To people with Asperger Syndrome language is a means to share facts and information about their special interests. They do not see language as a way to share emotions and feelings and have difficulty initiating and sustaining conversation. Many also do not understand underlying meaning of words and take what is said on a very literal level.

Children that suffer from Asperger's tend to not have a large range of interests but will focus on a limited amount of interests on an almost obsessive level. These children like to have a set routine and rigid structure in their lives. This structure gives them a feeling of safety and security. Changes in the structure of children with Asperger syndrome may often cause them become extremely upset.

A person with Asperger Syndrome often sees the world through a very narrow focus. They assume the world thinks and feels in the exact same way they do. When communicating they will often say things that may hurt the feelings of others without being aware they are doing it. Physical activities that require fine motor skills such as writing, riding a bike or throwing a ball may also be underdeveloped.

While much is still not known about Asperger Syndrome, knowing and understanding the characteristics can help a great deal in creating tolerance and acceptance. People with this syndrome are often extremely brilliant in their own unique way. In children, one or all of their senses can be affected, resulting in an over or under reaction. Society still has much to learn about how people with Asperger Syndrome see the world. - 15437

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