Subject: What is Asperger's Syndrome?
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Title of Article: What is Asperger's Syndrome?
Author:
Submitted By: Christina
Article:
Very long but good read. :)
Take care,
Christina
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What is Asperger's Syndrome?
Asperger's syndrome is a form of autism. Autism, in all of its forms, is
what is called a pervasive developmental disorder. In essence, it is a
slight difference in the construction of the brain, probably present since
birth, that affects the way the child develops. It's not a mental
condition... it is a neurological difference. Although the terms that
describe it (syndrome, disorder, et cetera) have onerous connotations, it's
more accurate to simply say that so affected individuals are different.
Most of the differences relate to the way that aspies (a term that people
with Asperger's Syndrome use to describe themselves) communicate with
others. They tend to have a rather straightforward style, and that has
several implications. First, the roundabout way in which normal
(neurologically typical, or NT) people communicate is replaced with a rather
blunt, sometimes apparently tactless approach. Aspies say what they are
thinking, and there is no such thing as beating around the bush. They don't
"say things without saying them," or lace their words with innuendo or
hidden meaning. There's no subtext... what is said is what is meant, and it
is that simple. NTs often have a hard time figuring out what an aspie
means, simply because he (the NT) is not accustomed to interpreting the
words completely at face value. They often refuse to believe that there is
no hidden meaning, or that the comments they interpret as rude or harsh are
actually meant to be helpful. This can cause hard feelings and
misunderstandings, and unfortunately the aspie is usually on the losing end
of the exchange.
Aspies communicate and interpret language literally. That's not to say that
they do not make use of metaphor or simile; in fact, many of them show
rather advanced use of such concepts. However, the basic mode is to use
words in a very unambiguous and precise way. Precision and clarity (and
often verbosity) are the hallmarks of typical aspie speech and prose.
Aspies typically use a formal manner in everyday communications, written or
spoken. While odd to NTs, this is an outgrowth of the aspie preoccupation
with precision and accuracy in the use of language.
As children, aspies lack the inborn "detective skills" to automatically
determine and integrate the "unwritten rules" of personal conduct and body
language (often including facial expressions). Parents do not have to
actively teach their children to recognize these nonverbal cues, because the
children have a built-in ability to learn them, and to incorporate them
appropriately into their own code of conduct. Aspies never pick up on these
things, so as adults, they still do not have the ability to recognize these
nonverbal signals. Of course, this can cause confusion when NTs and aspies
communicate. The NT may send signals that he is not interested in a
particular topic, or that he has tired of talking to the other person
completely. The aspie will miss these signals, and the NT typically grows
more and more angry as his signals, from his perspective (and at an
unconscious level), are ignored.
The aspie, whether a child or an adult, is not usually interested in the
social hierarchy of the group. Popularity, "coolness," jealousy, image,
office politics... all of these are things that do not concern aspies.
Unfortunately, this often means that they end up at the bottom of the
hierarchy. In school, aspie kids are often picked on by all of the other
kids, who seek to improve their own prestige by abusing others. That need
to improve one's image, even if by making others look bad, is not something
that aspies can really comprehend. They just do what they want to do,
without any worry about whether something is "cool" or not.
Many of the medical texts suggest that people with AS prefer to be alone.
That's not really accurate, though. While most aspies will need to have
some "alone" time each day, they don't usually want to remain solitary all
of the time. Most aspies do want to be social and to interact with others,
but they often have long histories of disastrous results with regard to
interpersonal communications, for the reasons described above. It is not so
hard to see why many aspies shy away from others.
Aspies tend to be well above average in intelligence, and language skills
far in excess of the norm for the age group are common. Aspie children
often read and write several grade levels higher than their like-aged peers.
Aspies of all ages often have unusually expansive working vocabularies, and
it is often said that aspie kids talk like adults.
One of the most interesting aspects of the aspie personality is the
"perseveration," or the special interest. Aspies tend to be rather deeply
engrossed in one specific topic, and that one area of interest dominates the
mind and free time. This is not to say that they cannot think of anything
else, but they show a sense of zeal and enthusiasm for the special interest
that most NTs will never experience. The topics of interest can be quite
common, like computers or car repair, or they can be rather bizarre.
Anything from dinosaurs to fleas to mimeograph machines can be the focus.
The person will typically seek to gather and absorb as much information on
the special interest as he can find... from libraries, the internet, experts
in the field, and through direct experience where possible. Sometimes the
special interest persists for years; in other cases, it may only last for a
few weeks, at which time a new interest will take over.
Aspies tend to be very responsive to stimulus. Loud noises, bright lights,
powerful odors, or unexpected touch can overload an aspie's mind. Loud
noises of short duration produce an effect in the mind that resembles that
of scratching a chalkboard. Certain persistent noises, especially loud or
"busy" ones (like multiple voices), can be very tiring and stressful.
Visually busy or bright environments can have a similar effect. Aspies tend
to prefer quiet environments with subdued lighting. Many of them carry
earplugs and sunglasses to help them deal with unexpected sensory overloads.
The aspie mind by nature abhors inaccuracy and imprecision, and dishonesty
and deception do not come naturally. Aspies are by nature loyal, accepting
of difference, and have a talent for being able to accurately assess
themselves and others. Their unique position outside of the norm allows
them to see things as few can.
By nature, people with AS are innovators; their inability to recognize the
unwritten rules means that they live in a world largely without preset
limits... so ideas and concepts that may never have existed without such a
perspective are born. People like Ludwig von Beethoven, Thomas Jefferson,
Albert Einstein, and Bill Gates were (or are) probably aspies. Arrogant,
eccentric, strange, intelligent, perceptive, genius. They're all words that
have been used to describe the people above, as well as many or most known
aspies.
Medical texts tend to describe AS in terms of impairment, disability, and
the problems it causes. They're all written from the perspective that
normal is good and unusual is bad; that all deviations from the usual are
signs of dysfunction and must eventually be cured. They fail to see the
beauty of AS, and of being different. Many aspies, including the author of
this article, like their AS... it is more than just a condition in a medical
book. It's a part of who they are, and what thy are. As this article's
author says, "I would not be 'me' if the AS were not there. I really do see
it as a thing of beauty."
Authored by ~ Frank Klein
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