About Asperger's Syndrome

What is Aspergers Syndrome (AS)?

Asperger's Syndrome (aka "AS") is a collection of common physical and behavioral traits. We, people who identify as "having" Asperger's Syndrome, are often described as smart, shy, funny, quirky, literal, logical, loving and very caring people. We are good fathers and mothers, loving brothers and sisters, competent colleagues and loyal friends -- or at least no worse than any others!

Its called "Asperger's Syndrome" because an Austrian psychologist named Hans Asperger found a common pattern of behaviour and abilities in some of his younger patients that included social impairment, stilted speech, physical clumsiness and intense interest in special subjects. Some of these children used their special talents in adulthood and, according to Asperger, had "successful" careers: one became a professor of astronomy who solved an error in Newton's work, another a Nobel Laureate.

There's some question about the difference between "high functioning autism" and AS.

There is no question about vaccines or circumcision: Neither circumcision nor vaccines make people autistic. Unless you're Danish (that's a joke, see Christian A Stewart-Ferrer's lectures, above).

Asperger's Syndrome was little known to English speaking cultures until the early 1980's, when Dr. Asperger's original work was translated into English. AS wasn't really part of the American psychological communities awareness until the 1990's. Today, AS is classified within the autism spectrum disorder along with autism. Asperger's was estimated to affect 37.2 million people globally in 2015, that's about .5% of the population; thus, if you've met 200 people in your life, you've most likely met at least one Aspie! Tony Atwood says that 1 in 68 children in school are Aspies.

What's it like to be an Aspie?

Its like being just a little bit more different than most people are different from each other, in very particular ways.

While we are, technically on the autism spectrum (according to the latest definition), if you must ask, then no, we are not very much like Dustin Hoffman's character Raymond in the movie "Rain Man".

We are productive members of society; like any population, we have some folks who struggle more than others, and we have varying levels of "success", depending, of course, on your definition of that word.

We often have "special interests" -- subjects in which we are uncommonly interested, some might say "obssessed". These subjects can be scientific, musical, mathematical, architectural, technical. We have members with uncommon interests in asteroid mining, bluegrass music, anthropology, religion, or even other people. Really almost anything at all. If you get us started, you'll be treated to an almost endless stream of facts and figures and diagrams and enthusiasm!

We also have certain common deficits. We are, unfortunately, often physically "clumsy", though seldom "impaired" -- it can be described as being too preoccupied with what's going on in our own heads to bother with the mechanics of getting through a doorway without injuring a shoulder or a knee.

We are often, likewise, described as being "absent-minded", as well. Sometimes we get so involved with something we forget to eat, or sleep!

We have trouble recognizing non-verbal communications of our fellow human beings, which leads to a marked degree of difficulty in managing social situations.

We aren't very good at small-talk, at all.

We are often resistant to change in surprising circumstances. A simple change in scheduling for a regularly scheduled meeting, for instance, can result in an irrational meltdown.

We often have impairments of "executive function" -- that is, the part of the brain that allows one to "get started" with something. Some of us have somewhat stilted, or simply odd, ways of speaking as compared to other people, who we usually describe as "neurotypicals". Many of us don't like noisy, or chaotic, environments.

We are subject to "meltdowns", which are like emotional seizures, which we don't like very much at all.

Many of these symptoms are more obvious in our youth; as we get older, we learn how to manage our interaction with people in the world around us. Some of us you would never know about our Aspie-ness unless we told you. For others, it can be more than obvious.