FAQ about Asperger's Syndrome
69Child with Asperger's
Is Asperger's Really Autism?
Asperger's Syndrome is on the autistic spectrum, and is classified as an Austistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Classical autism is what most people associate with the term autism, and individuals affected by classical autism have low IQ (intellectual disability) in addition to their autism.
The spectrum is a continuum, and as one moves to the higher IQ end of the spectrum, individuals become higher functioning. These individuals may be labelled with Asperger's Syndrome. There is wider variety of presentation of individuals at this end of the spectrum. They range from slightly below average IQ to genius IQ and have difficulty with social skills.
How is Asperger's Diagnosed?
Asperger's is diagnosed by an appropriately qualified professional. My son was seen by a psychiatrist, psychologist and school guidance officer over several sessions, but the psychiatrist made the final offical diagnosis (here in Australia). Diagnosis for us wasn't clear-cut and immediate, as we are on a special diet that reduces the severity of our autistic tendencies. I ended up providing letters from school, videos of tantrums, and breaking our special diet temporarily so they could see the difference.
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Why Does My Child Have Aspergers?
Is is not clear-cut as to the cause of Asperger's as no family is alike - it seems to have a complex combination of genetic and environmental factors. Some families seem to have no history of autism in the family and others only realise there are many Aspies in the family, or at least quirky traits after a diagnosis is finally made.
Studies indicate that Asperger's is mostly genetic so one can be predispositioned for Asperger's, but not actually have Asperger's.
Some academics believe autism arises from genetic damage from chemicals in the environment, such as exposure to toxins in pregnancy.
Why are More Boys Diagnosed than Girls?
It is not clear yet whether there are less girls with Asperger's or whether girls present differently from boys and "slip through the cracks" and go undiagnosed, but later suffer from anxiety and depression. Most girls with Asperger's tend to be quiet and act up less than boys, so go unnoticed. Girls are good at imitation and can learn enough social skills to get by.
Approximately 10 times more boys are diagnosed with AS than girls. It is thought that the X sex chromosome is involved, at least in part. Boys usually present more obviously than girls.
It is thought that girls present differently from boys, because females have two X sex chromosomes, and one unaffected X chromosome helps mask the presentation of Asperger's. Males have an XY sex chromosomes, so an affected X chromosome will result in expression of Asperger's.
Are All Aspies Introvert?
No, some Aspies are extroverts, and enjoy being around people, but their constant failure at making social connections can be frustrating and upsetting.
Some Aspies are also very affectionate, and their demonstrations of affection may be misinterpreted and even taken advantage of by sexual predators.
Do Aspies Have Mental Illness?
No, but are prone to developing mental illnesses, including anxiety and depression. They are not ill, but have different brain wiring.
Are All Aspies Rigid Thinkers?
Aspies are typically black-and-white rigid thinkers, but can learn to see shades of grey and become more flexible thinkers. But they can grow up staying very rigid and difficult to get on with, as they adhere stubbornly to their own view and won't see other people's perspectives.
Aspies are prone to perfectionism, and this can fuel anxiety and obsessive-compulsive tendencies. Black-and-white thinkers are often attracted to mathematics, as there are only right and wrong answers. People are unpredictable and give rise to anxiety.
Many Aspies are creative and original, which orginates from their unique perspective. Perfectionism traits can keep an Aspie rigid, as they are afraid to make mistakes.
Child with Asperger's Syndrome
Why Do Aspies have Special Interests?
Aspies live inside their heads and enjoy thinking or doing things rather than socialising. They cling to things and ideas that provide comfort in an unpredictable, confusing world. Special interests typically involve structure, patterns and order. Their special interests can be pursued in an obsessive manner.
Typical childhood special interests include:
- trains
- maps
- dinosaurs
- LEGO
- animals
Teen and adult special interests include:
- science - all fields including chemistry, genetics, microbiology, physics
- engineering
- mathematics
- computers
- technology
- art
- music
Do Geeks Have Aspergers?
Some geeks do have Aspergers. There is a high incidence of children with autism born to engineers and IT experts.
Some personality types are "geeky", "brainy", "nerdy" but have no difficulty with reading social cues and being organised, so they would not be Asperger's, even though they may have some Asperger traits.
Not all Asperger's are into maths - they tend to be either brilliant at it or poor at it.
What Can be Done to Help?
Early intervention is important to help an Aspie adjust to a world that is overwhelming and stressful. Aspies are bully magnets and bullying is psychologically very damaging. Undiagnosed Aspies are prone to developing anxiety and depression as they get older and realise they don't "fit".
Is there a Future for Aspies?
YES!!
Aspies can learn social skills, make friends, leave home, date, get a job, get married, have children, although these may have extra challenges.
Those with Asperger's are often advanced intellectually, but behind their peers socially and emotionally. They will need extra support and guidance in taking on adult responsibilities.
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Did you check out my other related pages? My husband was hesitant to get a label for our son, but he is having major problems at school (massive temper tantrums etc and no friends). I present milder than him, but have had ongoing confusing problems all my life eg irritate people unintentionally, have been underemployed etc
Yes, I have been reading your other pages and will read more.
However, I have been lucky enough to be moderately successful and more importantly, to be happy. I may not grok social situations as well as others, but I get by. I have friends, I enjoy life. I'm fine, aspieish or not.
If you have similar traits but not quite as severe difficulties as us (ie can read social situations but just not people orientated), it may be that you have a temperament similar eg INTP scientist/engineer(which I am also). Apparently engineers and scientists frequently have autistic children, so possibly related to temperament (which is mainly genetic, IMO). I have a geek brother-in-law that is "genius" IQ, but he is not on the spectrum
my 14 year old daughter has recently been diagnosed with a touch of aspergers or "not-otherwise-specified", even though since she was a baby i kept telling doctors,teachers,counselors,everyone that something was "wrong" with her, and all i wanted was a name for it. she needs to be taught social cues, and acts typically about 2 years younger than her real age. she gravitated toward dinosaurs,animals,younger kids or adults(she has no real friends her age),drawing,is physically clumbsy(gravitational insecurity),can memorize movie lines after only seeing a movie once. she even tries to talk in different languages even though she hasnt a clue what shes doing, and will actually try and speak to culturally diverse people:). she just failed pre algebra,has a spelling disability and cannot write in cursive and is very disorganized. despite all her quirks she has proven to be the most interesting,cool,smart-in- her-own-ways-kid,the most compassionate of my 3 children. i feel its hereditary as karma came and got me and gave me a daughter who acts just like my brother did growing up, plus i have a half brother who has a genius iq but is socially awkward. thanks for your insight. i know she will have a bright future, it will just take her a little longer than most people to get there, and as one person told me,we're all the same in the end as adults.
thank you for your feedback. I felt compelled to share my experiences growing up undiagnosed (and still finding it difficult coping with adult responsibilities). I am grateful that there are various interventions nowadays to help children survive growing up in a tough world. She is lucky to have a supportive mother.
My son has mild Asperger's, he is ten. When he was younger he too was into trains. He still loves lego, they have a product "Mindstorms" which hooks up to your computer and then you download your program to the lego robotic unit. As you can imagine, that's one of his favorite things to do.
Natural Remedy - so he might grow out of trains eventually? My husband is trying to convert him to trucks (his favourite) and racing cars!
Well we put the wooden trains at my Mother's house, so that his cousin will have them to play with in a year or so when he's older and when we were there visiting a few months ago, he played with them for hours. His Grandma and he had a great time. We were visiting town for a couple of weeks and each time we were there, out came the trains. It was more the novelty of it though, I would guess that by nine or ten your son will move on. My nephew is neurotypical and he played with his trains until he was nine or ten too.
You know there are so many toys out there by that age that can drive you nuts, enjoy this time that your son enjoys the trains. In a few more years, you're going to look back on it fondly.
i have a question: can asperger's people recognize symptoms in themselves? i'm a little socailly 'off' and i seem to think with extra logic (as i have recently been told now that i am in college) and everyone is constantly frustrated with me cuz there's something big in between my brain and my mouth. i have a diagnosis of anxious depression with obsessive compulsions, but the medicine seems to make me more anxious. less depressed. but more anxious. i exhibit multiple symptoms, like i have to wear a warm color with every outfit, am ridiculously particular about my socks (if they aren't black no-shows i won't wear them) but i collect socks if they express how i feel that day (but don't wear them), i am really clumsy, don't understand sports. at. all. i understand them conceptually but not practically. like i have no idea what's going on on the t.v. ever. i took a test online (and i know that a test is not a diagnosis) and i got a 42, and 32 or higher was indicative of asperger's. i have had 2 doctors want to do testing for why i have a language processing disorder but freaked out when i considered the prospect of being retarded so i never went back. it's starting to affect my relationships. i'm kinda afraid to talk to my fraternity brothers sometimes cuz some of us get in huge fights when we are saying the same thing but we have no idea what the other is saying cuz they use word-pictures when talking and i don't, and it's just frustrating. i have always had these problems but i didn't have too much trouble cuz my friends left me before i got fed up with them. my best friend has it, and nobody likes him and i don't see why. he says i have it, but i don't want to posit the symptoms on myself. does it sound like i should see about a diagnosis? thanks.
cake - yes, they can if they know what to look for. I read one of Tony Abbott's books about Asperger's (after learning a little about it because of our food sensitivities and sensory issues which are often associated). Recognised myself and my son - he's more obvious though, as males often are. Obsessive-compulsive traits are common, but OCD is a different diagnosis, which can have some overlap. It is common to have co-morbid conditions such as anxiety and depression (our mood etc is affected by food chemicals, we found). Constant frustration in communication can be a sign. I have a huge history of failed jobs - not because I'm stupid or can't do the job - it's that I didn't cope with people & politics. Up to you whether to get diagnosis. We got an official diagnosis for my son, so he gets help at school (and they said I do too, but am gifted, so compensate). Those with AS typically have slightly below average IQ up to genius IQ (low IQ is classical autism). My diagnosis isn't something I tell work etc - it's more about figuring out ways to survive in this world where everyone seems to be speaking a foreign language
cake - I just realised I wrote Tony Abbott (the politician) rather than Tony Attwood (the psychologist) - LOL. Never have been great at recalling names. Despite having a high IQ, I've been told I'm scatterbrained at times.
My son is 14 and was diagnosed with AS when he was 9. He was obsessed with Pokemon for many years and has just recently started to lose a little interest in it. He can rattle off over 500 Pokemon names and tell all their stats too. I always knew he was different, but the teachers were always labeling him ADHD. To this day he has no friends his own age and his best friends are his 10 year old brother and my mother's 11 year old neighbor that he only sees a few times a year. He really only has video games in common with other kids. If he's around kids his own age he either says inappropriate or rude things unintentionally and gets very hyper. he's very black and white and has no tolerance for opinions that differ from his. He's very affectionate with those he likes and will frequently ask for hugs when you're in the middle of something. He's extremely smart and awesome with numbers. One day after kindergarten he came home and rapidly counted by 9's for me well into the hundreds. Over the last couple years he's decided he likes to stay home instead of going into social situations and ive began to let him a lot more now. it breaks my heart that the kids his age don't like him but he knows it's because of his Aspergers. Does anyone else have experience with an aspie teen that Has advice for me?
Brilliant Hub! Very informative!
Pcunix Level 7 Commenter 23 months ago
My older sister says she thinks that she and I exhibit these symptoms. I can see that to some extent, but not entirely.
But.. What difference does a label make? We are not like most people, but we are happy and successful in our own ways. I'd much rather be as I am than what most consider "normal".