What is Asperger's Syndrome?

Asperger's Syndrome is part of the Autistic Spectrum. It's a lifelong, neurobiological disorder primarily affecting social and communication abilities.

Asperger's Syndrome has 5 main charactertics:

SOCIAL IMPAIRMENT

A.S. children:

• have difficulty identifying social cues and etiquette
• experience anxiety in social or group situations
• want friends but lack skills in maintaining friendships
• have difficulty ‘switching gears'
• have difficulty negotiating with peers
• are vulnerable to bullying and teasing
• have trouble discerning between ‘friendly' and ‘hurtful' teasing

COMMUNICATION IMPAIRMENT

(i) Children with Asperger's Syndrome have a literal use of language.

A.S. children:

• are confused by idioms 
• are confused by ‘shades of meaning' – they can't read between the lines 
• have trouble putting things into context
• have an expansive vocabulary that hides their lack of comprehension

(ii) Children with Asperger's Syndrome have difficulty with language pragmatics.

A.S. children:

• lack give and take in a conversation – he/she talks at you
• have difficulty reading non-verbal cues like facial expressions and body language

(iii) Children with Asperger's Syndrome may

• speak very quickly
• adopt a foreign accent for their speaking voice
• speak with an unusual prosody or tone of voice

REPETITIVE PATTERNS OF BEHAVIOUR

A.S. children display restricted, repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behaviour, interests and activities.

A.S. children:

• may display self stimulation activities like rocking, flapping, finger snapping or spinning. 
• usually have an intense, all-consuming preoccupation with a topic e.g. dinosaurs, aliens, trains, batteries or string. The obsession with these topics can last for as little as 2 or 3 weeks to a lifelong passion for the same topic.
• have an overwhelming need for structure and routine, and experience anxiety when routines aren't followed. Common areas of routine rigidness are food, bedtime, clothing, and TV viewing.
• rigidly follow rules, and are often better at ‘policing' this in others more so than themselves.

DIFFICULTY WITH TRANSITION/CHANGE

A.S. children have great difficulty coping with transition and change.

SENSORY SENSITIVITIES

A.S. children are sensory sensitive, encompassing any or all of the senses:

• Auditory (sound) 
• Visual (sight) 
• Olfactory (smell) 
• Tactile (touch)
• Gustatory (taste)

Examples of stimuli that A.S. children may be sensitive to are:

• SOUND: clapping/applause; rain on a roof; loud/sudden noises; (balloon bursting, fire drill alarm) lawn mower; vacuum cleaner; clock ticking.
• SIGHT: fluorescent lights; sunlight; flashing lights; fans; even a curtain flapping in the breeze.
• SMELL: glue; paint; fertilizer; perfume; deodorant; toothpaste; washing powder.
• TOUCH: people touching them deliberately or accidentally; the tactile feel of clothing or substances on the skin.
• TASTE: the taste and texture of foods – they will often stick to known foods.

Asperger's Syndrome children may have trouble with poor coordination and motor clumsiness; this can affect their handwriting ability and gross and fine motor skills.

Asperger's Syndrome children also have difficulty with self-organisational and time management skills. This skill is known as ‘executive function'.