User:Brandon Zubek/Asperger's syndrome

The account of this former contributor was not re-activated after the server upgrade of March 2022.

This is a draft in User space, not yet ready to go to Citizendium's main space, and not meant to be cited. The {{subpages}} template is designed to be used within article clusters and their related pages.
It will not function on User pages.

Asperger's syndrome (also Asperger syndrome) is a condition that is part of the autism spectrum. It was discovered by the Austrian paediatrician Hans Asperger in 1944, who described children exhibiting the symptoms. The disorder became internationally recognised in 1994 when it was added to the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICS).

History

In 1944 Hans Asperger observed four children in his paediatrician's practice who had difficulty integrating themselves socially. These children lacked social skills and were very clumsy. Asperger wrote a paper on his 'little professors', but during World War II texts by Germans written in German were not widely read, so his findings gained little recognition.

In 1981 Lorna Wing popularised the phrase Asperger's syndrome in her paper on the disorder and German developmental psychologist Uta Frith translated her paper into English in 1991. The World Health Organisation added Asperger's to its diagnostic manual in 1992 and in 1994 the condition became American Psychiatric Association-recognised when it was added to their diagnostic manual.

In 1999 the term Aspie was coined by Liane Holliday Willey, referring to an Asperger's sufferer. Those with autism and Asperger's are slowly being accepted. An example of this is Autism Pride Day, held on June 18th, when events celebrating autistics are held around the world.

Epidemology

Up until recently the exact definition of Asperger's syndrome had not reached consensus, therefore data on the prevalence of the disorder is difficult to obtain. Estimations have shown that about 2-4 in 10,000 possess the condition and about 90% of sufferers are male. Doctors are now diagnosing patients who show signs of autism but not enough to fulfil all of the criteria with Asperger's as long as the patient's intelligence is regular or above average.

Causes

Hans Asperger's observations suggested that Asperger's syndrome was probably hereditary. Research suggests that all autism spectrum disorders have some genetic link and that Asperger's syndrome has a stronger genetic link than other autism disorders.

Some Asperger's cases have been linked to an exposure to teratogens, or agents that cause birth defects, in the first eight weeks of conception. These include, amongst a wide range of others:

• Radiation
• German measles
• Herpes and syphillis
• Alcoholism
• Diabetes
• Rheumatism
• Ethanol
• Uranium
• Agent Orange
• Nicotine
• Aspirin
• Excess Vitamin A

Screening

Asperger's syndrome is usually detected by parents when their children are about 2.5 years of age. Using screening instruments often only serve to complicate the situation, therefore a parent interview combined with a play situation between the physician and child.

Normally a general check-up between a physician and a parent can pick up the disorder, but occasionally referrals to specialists may be required.

Symptoms

Asperger's syndrome is characterised by numerous symptoms rather than just one.

Intelligence

Unlike autistic and savant characteristics, Asperger's sufferers have an unusual ability to amass large amounts of information relative to their extremely narrow fixations. They also have a heightened ability to memorise. This ability is often described as 'photographic'.

Interaction with peers

Asperger's sufferers have difficulty with social interaction, displaying an inability to develop relationships and maintain eye contact. A contributing factor to the interpersonal relationship skill impairment is the inability to discern facial espressions.

Repetitive behaviour

Sufferers usually display symptoms similar to those of obsessive compulsive disorder. They can be surprisingly skilful at sticking to rituals, such as an inflexible schedule for each day.

A striking characteristic of Asperger's is the subconscious collection of useless material on a particularly narrow topic such as deep fat fryers. In children this symptom hinders diagnosis, as fixations with common childhood interests such as dinosaurs might be passed off as a 'phase'.

Motor skills

Asperger's syndrome sufferers may have a delayed acquisition of motor skills such as pedalling a bike, catching a ball or opening a jar. Even after acquiring these skills those with Asperger's may exhibit poor posture or stilted movements while performing actions which require motor skills.

Among sufferers there is often a pattern of good auditory and verbal skills but weaknesses in motor and perceptual skills. Depression and anxiety have higher prevalence rates among those with Asperger's.

Language skills

Sufferers of Asperger's syndrome often have such a good vocabulary that they are dubbed 'little professors' at a very young age, but as the child grows older and figurative language is introduced language skills decline, as a symptom of Asperger's is a difficulty communicating with figurative language. In addition to this those with the syndrome have an impaired ability to comprehend humour and irony.

Course

It is usually possible to diagnose Asperger's syndrome by age 3, however, as mentioned above, it is often not picked up until a later age because fixations can be considered as a 'phase'.

Hans Asperger believed that many of his patients who were suffering from his syndrome would end up leading normal lives, using their special talents to gain employment and having normal life expectancies. He believed this because his early patients had relatives (usually fathers) exhibiting symptoms of the syndrome. Asperger only ever saw 200 sufferers in his lifetime, so these beliefs may have been incorrect. However, there is little doubt that some symptoms such as social insensitivity are lifelong.

Treatment

Treatment for Asperger's syndrome varies from child to child. It usually entails teaching the child skills not acquired during development, such as interpersonal skills. Most professionals agree that treatment works best when started early.

A typical treatment program usually includes:

• Social skills training
• Stress management lessons
• Cognitive behaviour therapy counselling to tackle obsessive behaviours
• Depression medication (if it is needed)
• Motor coordination therapy
• Training of parents to help their Asperger children

Treatment can sometimes include special education because of the learning environment in regular classes.

Medication to treat the core problem of Asperger's is generally not recommended.

References

• Autism and Asperger syndrome: an overview.
• Klin, et al. Asperger Syndrome, published by Guilford Press, 2000.
• MSN Encarta: Asperger's syndrome dictionary definition.
• Asperger syndrome, from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.