What is Asperger's Syndrome?

(Asperger: prounced ass'-per-ger's with the accent on the first syllable.  It sounds a little like hamburger but with a ‘p’ instead of a ‘b’)

Asperger’s syndrome can be thought of as a neurosocial disorder because the brain and nervous system of the Aspergian (one who is diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome) are wired in such a way as to affect social behavior.   The story doesn’t end with social behavior, however.  The syndrome also affects perception, sensation, cognition, planning, physical coordination, memory, and moods.  At the present time, Asperger’s syndrome is considered to be an autistic spectrum disorder.  That means that the two disorders of autism and Asperger’s have shared characteristics, origins, and traits.  Attention deficit disorder is also considered to be a close relative of the autism spectrum of disorders. 

The line between autism and Asperger’s is not well understood and is, in some cases, a very fine line.  The desire for social contact and the intelligence quotient seem to separate them more than any thing else.  Autistic individuals don’t fit into social settings smoothly but they tend not to care.  In fact, autistic individuals are not interested in other people, for the most part.  The Aspergian, with his/her shyness and social ackwardness, often wishes to be accepted socially.  To be considered an autistic, one must have an I.Q. of less than 70, which is in the mentally retarded range.  Asperger's syndrome is accompanied by an I.Q. of average (90) to very superior intelligence (above 130).  There are those individuals who fall into the category of high-functioning autism and they would have an average or higher I.Q. but would have little or no desire to socialize. 

Although the syndrome was first brought to the medical community's attention in 1944 by Hans Asperger, it was not entered into the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders until 1994.  Since the recent inclusion of Asperger’s syndrome into the diagnostic manual there has been more research into it than ever before.  Our thinking about the causes and symptoms of the syndrome is rapidly changing as new brain imaging and neurological studies come available.

You, no doubt, know an Aspergian but probably did not know that there was an official name for what you were noticing.  Asperger’s syndrome is affectionately referred to as the “geek syndrome” because Aspergians are often the technologically or scientifically oriented students in your school or work place. They are usually on the outskirts of any social structure.  They don’t stand at the water cooler at work, for instance, and engage in small-talk with their co-workers.  Parties and gatherings are rarely attended by them except when it is with their own family members.  They tend not to belong to groups, clubs, or organizations.  Their social phobia and hypersensitivity to lights, crowds, noise, and activity can negatively affect their moods, so living and working alone is often much preferred.  Because the syndrome is sometimes accompanied by a superior intelligence, they can excel when left to create and design independently.  

Asperger’s has its advantages.  The syndrome endows the individual with a larger than average brain size which gives them savant-like abilities.  Aspergians can hyperfocus on one topic and have a tenacity that is matchless.  They can store huge amounts of information, learn languages easily, and are talented scientists, musicians, technicians, and historians.  If there is something you want to know, ask an Aspie.  You will have an answer in great detail. While they are not comfortable with people, they love information.  Aspergians are in good company.  Albert Einstein, Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison, and Sir Issac Newton, just to name a few, are now thought to have had Asperger’s syndrome.  More recently, Dan Aykroyd had announced that he had been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome and many people believe that Bill Gates has Aspergian traits.  The later diagnosis has not been confirmed publicly, however, and may not be an accurate assessment.  

If you ask of an Aspie a technical question, be prepared for a lengthy explanation because he or she will give you much more detail than you had ever hoped to hear.  They will talk incessantly about a topic long after you have gone into a blank stare,  and will always bring the topic of conversation back around to her/his special interest.  Reciprocal conversation skills are not in their skill set, and it is this type of social ineptitude that keeps them lonely and isolated.  

An Aspie can usually fix just about anything because of an amazing penchant for figuring out how technological or electronic gadgets function.  They tend to like working with gadgets better than working with people because gadgets are more predictable.  People deceive, manipulate, apple-polish, connive and lie, unlike machines.  Polite niceties seem phony and dishonest to the Aspie.  Social convention confuses them.  The term "brutal honesty" has often been applied to their list of characteristics, and although it may seem rude to most people, it is not meant to offend.  It is meant to inform. 

Don’t be too surprised if you ask an Aspie how he/she is feeling and you get an explanation of what she/he is working on instead.  They are not very aware of their feelings and may be accused of not having them at all.  A spouse or significant other can feel emotionally neglected by them.  Aspergians  do have feelings, but they don’t show their feelings on their face or in their voice tone in the same way a neurotypical might (a neurotypical or NT is a person who does not have a neurological disorder.)  Because the expected smile, both in the eyes and on the mouth, is missing when they greet you, you might make the mistake of thinking that they don't like you.  Take heart, they may like you just fine but can’t express it like a NT does. 

You have probably noticed a strange posture or gait when you met an Aspergian.  They tend to walk stiffly with arms held tensely at their sides, or they slump in their chair because of low muscle tone and poor motor coordination.  Sadly, they almost always report that they were the last student to be chosen for a place on the team in school sports.  Their hand writing is usually pretty unreadable so they often adapt by printing.  Hand flapping at the wrists, rocking back and forth in the chair, tapping fingers, or bouncing a knee soothes them but is off-putting to others around them.  You might observe tense and raised shoulders when they are speaking to you. They avoid making eye contact out of shyness and an aversion to sensory input.  This habit is especially disconcerting to NTs.

Aspergians usually want to be social but find it nearly impossible to figure out how to behave in a social setting or how to maintain social relationships.  They have trouble reading and understanding body language, facial expressions, voice tones, or idioms.  It is as if they were from an alien culture and were never taught the meaning of subtle gestures and nuances of conversation. They can’t figure out the rules of engagement in a social exchange.  It is awkward for them to jump into a conversation and they report that they can't figure out how to add to the discussion without taking it off the track. Small-talk is a mystery to them and bores them to tears.  Instead, they love to recite facts and figures.  They are concrete thinkers and therefore the meaning of a joke may escape them.  They might understand the joke but can’t figure out why it is thought of as funny.  It just seems absurd to them.   Tell them the one about a priest and a rabbi who go to heaven’s gate together and ………………………..  They will tell you that it is silly to think that those two people would go anywhere together, in the first place.   

Add to the above list of characteristics a long list of symptoms such as anxiety, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, tic disorders, and learning disabilities, and you are getting closer to what it is to be an Aspergian.  They struggle with sleep, eating, digestive, and sensory problems, all of which make melding into the social environment difficult.  In addition, many, if not most, Aspergians had been bullied in school and have trauma-related disorders as a result.  Most often, they are rejected, or worse, made fun of in the work place and in school.  Loneliness is their constant companion. 

Asperger’s syndrome is a complicated combination of characteristics and traits.  It has a wide variety of symptoms that differ from one individual to another.  It can range in severity from very mild and hardly noticeable, as in the case of the eccentric college professor, to the very deeply affected individual who will never have a job or a family of their own because his/her behavior and habits appear so bizarre. 

There about 4 males to every one female diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome and there are approximately one in every 150 individuals born in the United States with Asperger's.  The numbers of individuals diagnosed with it are increasing with time because it is better recognized but also because there are more of them than there was in the past.  There is some speculation that neurotoxins in the environment contribute to the increasing numbers of individuals born with Asperger's syndrome.  One city in New Jersey, for instance, has found that one in every 10 indivduals born there have Asperger's syndrome and they attribute the huge number to the fact that the city was built on a toxic waste dump. Other possible causes being considered and researched include an over exposure to testosterone interuterine, genetics, exposure to mercury in vaccinations, and a lack of oxytocin in infancy.  

 There are a number of disorders that may be mistaken for Asperger's syndrome such as fetal alcohol syndrome, nonverbal learning disorder, autism, tourettes, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and head trauma.  A thorough diagnosis by a trained specialist in psychology is needed for a definitive diagnosis. 

Treatment of the disturbing symptoms that an adult individual with Asperger's syndrome experiences is available and effective but since it is such a new field in psychology, the treatment options are few, at the present time.  Not many mental health practitioners are familiar enough with the syndrome to treat it effectively because it is a complicated mix of symptoms. Treatment must be accompanied by a practitioner's comprehensive knowledge of the syndrome, and an appreciation for the syndrome as a whole picture, versus a collection of symptoms.  Given that the practitioner has the necessary experience and education, it has been found that social skills training, stress management skills training, trauma recovery methodolgies, mindfulness techniques and philosophies, cognitive/behavioral therapies, and self-esteem building are all helpful in managing the symptoms and bringing about self-confidence and inner peace.  Medicine for the symptoms of ADHD, depression, and anxiety can be helpful. 

There is, of course, no "cure" for the disorder, in either medicine or psychology, but the brain is a very "plastic" and flexible organ.  The brain can adapt and make new pathways as the Aspergian learns new ways to channel his or her talents and feelings.  Many Aspergians will tell you that, if they were offered a chance to be "normal" and no longer have Asperger's syndrome, they would choose to stay as they are.  Once they have learned that they are not inferior, but rather exquisitly different, they begin to appreciate themselves and their considerable talents. The culture at large has not accepted them as yet.  Finding a niche in the world is what is needed and those lucky enough to find it excel and contribute significantly. It is the mission of the Southern Arizona Association of Asperger’s to open the door to acceptance, both in society and within each Aspergian.                               Barbara J Nichols, Ph.D., Clinical psychologist