Aspergers Syndrome

Most people refer to Asperger’s Syndrome as being “a mild form of autism,” the one that’s at the high functioning end of the spectrum and not as bad as other cases of autism. However, the diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome and its pathology are much more complicated than people are aware of. It’s still a matter of controversy whether Asperger’s is high functioning autism, or if Asperger’s and high functioning autism are two different categories. As with all conditions that primarily affect mental or developmental processes, it’s very difficult to categorize Aspergers Syndrome according to definite criteria.

Aspergers may be higher functioning than severe autism, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s an easy condition to deal with. People with Aspergers Syndrome are characterized by difficulty in social and language skills. The social interactions that they have with others are what most people would describe as “awkward.” The awkwardness stems from the fact that people with Asperger’s have a hard time picking up on social cues like facial expressions and eye contact that most of us use when communicating with others, and expressing themselves clearly. This can lead to “inappropriate” social behavior like talking too much or disregarding the other person’s reactions. It may be unintentional, but unfortunately it doesn’t come off that way; people with Aspergers may genuinely want to converse with others, but their inability to interact appropriately can turn others off and result in many failed interactions with peers. People with Asperger’s Syndrome may also have idiosyncratic behaviors or interests that from the outside can seem obsessive or odd. For example, a person with Aspergers might make certain repetitive body motions, or they might possess rigidly comprehensive knowledge about bird species of the world. Other miscellaneous symptoms of Aspergers are poor coordination and trouble sleeping.

Though much of Aspergers Syndrome is commonly characterized by specific impairments, people with Aspergers often have excellent abilities in sensory perception. They can be much more sensitive to vision, smell, taste, touch and hearing than others are. Some individuals with Aspergers Syndrome are synesthetic and they combine these senses. In this sense, they can be much more skillful than people who are not affected with Aspergers. This is why people with Aspergers can be just as successful as others. In fact, some people with Aspergers have gone on to become noted artists, authors and musicians. While being inhibited in some aspects, they can flourish in others.