What Is Asperger's Syndrome?

Before reading this you might like to note that this page is written mostly from my perspective- and I'm anything but an expert on Asperger's Syndrome. Anything written here will be from my experiences, talking to others and what I have learnt through diagnosis, reading books and articles and forums. While I am diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome I'm still only a teenage girl.

What Is Asperger's Syndrome?

Asperger's Syndrome- The truth is that not very many people know much about it at all. Many have never even heard of it, and some think they know what it is but have completely the wrong idea. From what I understand, Asperger's Syndrome is one of the many Autistic Spectrum Disorders on the Spectrum. You can imagine the Spectrum in many different ways- as a rainbow, with lots of different people connected in some ways but who still have diverse skills and difficulties, or as an umbrella, with Autism generally on the top and Asperger's Syndrome underneath. Diagnoses on the Autistic Spectrum range from Autism to High Functioning Autism and Asperger's Syndrome. In a way Asperger's Syndrome is a more mild diagnosis on the Autistic Spectrum although that's not to say that Asperger's Syndrome doesn't impact people's lives.

The first thing that somebody needs to understand is that Asperger's Syndrome is not a disease- it's a neurological difference. Somebody with Asperger's Syndrome will generally think differently to somebody who is Neurotypical or NT. A neurotypical person is somebody who's brain works in the "typical" way- meaning they are "normal" or not diagnosed with any neurological difference. People with Asperger's Syndrome will generally percieve the world in a different way to NTs, and think differently. Our brains are wired up differently.

Somebody with Asperger's Syndrome might be skilled in some areas but have difficulties with others. Somebody was explaining the Autistic Spectrum to me once. You might wonder how Autism and Asperger's Syndrome are related in any way- so I suppose I'll go into this. As I said earlier, you can imagine it as a kind of rainbow. Asperger's wasn't recognised until some years ago when two people, one of them being Hans Asperger, started doing research on some people who came to them with certain difficulties and were of interest. They soon started to realise that there was a connection between all these people- they all had difficulties in certain areas including generally the social and sensory areas.

There was a difference between some of these people, though. While some of them had "glaringly obvious" difficulties, others had perhaps less obvious difficulties, and this was the group that Hans Asperger described. Years later it became known as Autistic Personality Disorder and finally, in the 1980s, as Asperger's Syndrome. Tony Attwood's book, The Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome, has lots more information about this, so I recommend reading it if you want to find out more/if it's of interest. In the times before Hans Asperger people like this were looked down on and treated terribly if not murdered, and it really was horrible. Hans Asperger did a great thing by trying to prove the true point - "Not everything that is abnormal is necessarily inferior."

Characteristics of Asperger's Syndrome

In The Complete Guide, the characteristics of children with Asperger's Syndrome were described:

- Delayed social maturity and social reasoning
- Immature empathy
- Difficulty making friends and often teased by other children
-Difficulty with the communication and control of emotions
- Unusual language abilities that include advanced vocabulary and syntax but delayed conversation skills, unusual prosody and tendency to be pedantic
- A fascination with a topic that is unusual in intensity or focus
- Difficulity mantaining attention in class
- An unusual profile of learning abilities
- A need for assistance with some self-help and organisational skills
- Clumsiness in terms of gait and co-ordination
- Sensitivity to specific sounds, aromas, textures, or touch.

There is so much more to Asperger's Syndrome- there are many characteristics, and not all people will necessarily have all of them, or the same ones. The intensity of characteristics might differ from person to person. It's hard to understand Asperger's Syndrome unless you have it, but also similarly hard for somebody with Asperger's Syndrome to imagine not having it.

Tony Attwood wrote about all kinds of things to do with Asperger's Syndrome. His book is really worth reading because it has so much information and also includes tips and coping strategies.

People with Asperger's Syndrome can often feel different and have difficulties with social situations, emotions, co-ordination, sensitivity to touch, smell, sight, taste and textures, and other areas. People might see that they are different and immediately call them a "freak" while this is just incredibly unfair. People with Asperger's Syndrome might be more skilled at some things. While social skills may not come to them naturally and have to be learned, they might to amazing things in life. People need to remember that we need difference in this world- what would it be like if everybody was the same?

Asperger's Syndrome from the perspective of a teenage girl

I wasn't diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome until the age of eleven/twelve but even though there have been times when I doubted the diagnosis it's clear at other times that I do have Asperger's Syndrome. When I was younger I struggled with sensory sensitivity. I was an incredibly picky eater, hated some sounds, such as people coughing, vaccum cleaners etc. I couldn't sleep at night because of people snoring. I was sensitive to clothes labels and had to cut the labels out of every item of clothing I owned or they would drive me crazy and I wouldn't want to wear it. I was sensitive to certain textures and materials. I hated coming out of the bathtub and the feel of the towels when I came out and my fingers were wrinkled because I'd been in the bath for so long- I couldn't bear the feel of the towels and it drove me crazy. I hated travelling on airplanes because of the air pressure and noise and as I child I would scream because it hurt my ears. My Mum was completely mystified. Once when returning home through the airport a guard asked me a question (I was nine years old) and I refused to answer because my mind went blank and I was so overwhelmed by everything.

Thankfully I have either grown out of or more likely simply adjusted to the sensitivity now, because I have a lot less difficulty than when I was a child.

There was the social area. I never had many friends and I was teased and made fun off. I was always very different from the rest of them. When I was nine I moved to a new primary school and was terrified of the entire thing. I had for three years before that lived in a different country and attended a different primary school. It had been tiny and this one was enormous. It was completely overwhelming. I was shaking the day I first went, and I didn't know what to do and was afraid to speak to others. I did take things literally. I was offended when I was told I was the spitting image of my Mum- even though that really means I look very much like her I was convinced it meant something very rude! I didn't understand what somebody meant by "that's sick!" They meant it in a positive way and this really confused me. I withdrew socially and ended up pacing the school playground at breaktimes and trying not to cry. I would just pace up and down the concrete.

I was however intelligent. I could remember things well and always tried to be very polite. I never "pushed forwards" in queues and always said "please", and "thank you". I didn't do well in PE and generally when I went to kick a ball I would miss. I didn't always understand everybody's intent and would be paranoid, sometimes, that they were trying to be horrible and react unpredictably.

There was the fact that, when completely overwhelmed, I would just "shut off". My first Primary school, when I was four to six, didn't help with that. They thought I was trying to be a pain and consistently told me to go and stand in the corner. When I pretended to be a cat I was told to stand in the corner, because "cats can't sit". The truth is that I was trying with my all to be good, but they were misunderstanding me and consequently I came home time and time again crying. By "shutting off" I mean something that I started to do- sitting or standing somewhere apart from everybody else and retreating into myself. This might mean not talking to anybody if they asked me a question and not doing anything because I was just so overwhelmed.

I've had different difficulties over time and I suppose that although I have adjusted to some of these things now and learned new skills, each change does bring around new difficulties. At eleven I began Secondary school, and they were the ones who recognised Asperger's Syndrome and referred me for a diagnosis. There were lots of misunderstandings, and I felt alone and made fun of and inadequate. It seemed that whatever I tried I would fail. I was eventually diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome and since some things have been better but some are still a struggle. I self-harmed but am trying to stop now- which is not uncommon with people with Asperger's Syndrome. I still feel different and it's hard fitting in and doing some things, but I'm trying to learn and starting to accept myself a little bit more.

Asperger's Syndrome in Girls

Might be different and less recognisable. This might be because girls often can adapt differently and mimic others to fit in more- but many girls with Asperger's Syndrome are probably undiagnosed.

Comorbid Disorders

It seems that lots of people with Asperger's have comorbid disorders- these might include anxiety disorders, depression, bipolar disorder, ADHD, learning disabilities, dyspraxia (I'm diagnosed with this) eating disorders and others.

Is it worth getting a diagnosis?

It definitely is. That way you can learn more about yourself and people might understand you more. There are ways to overcome difficulties or at least adjust to them and make life easier. People with Asperger's Syndrome can have amazing lives and are generally amazing people. I'm finding that reading about it, talking about it and going on forums is really helping me learn and learn ways to cope.

Again I'm only a fourteen year old girl but I do hope that this page helped to explain things a little more for you. I really recommend reading books, especially Tony Attwood's, because they explain things so much better and in much more detail. Again, Asperger's is not a disease but a difference- and because we are in the minority the world isn't build for those with Asperger's- meaning that wecan struggle. But as I already said a little bit of difference is good.

Check out the resources page for links for information on Asperger's Syndrome.