Aspergers Syndrome Essay

Asperger’s syndrome is becoming more and more common as time goes by. Each year, more children are being diagnosed. This paper focuses on Asperger’s Syndrome and developing social skills in various social settings. By looking at the etiology, diagnostic procedures, how the condition effects development, daily challenges, current social/cultural views, and relevant social interventions, a better understanding on how to develop social skills for children with Asperger’s Syndrome can ensue. The world revolves around social situations. This is how people are hired for jobs, ask for things, make new friends, meet their future spouse, etc. At the moment, social skills training and social support is minimal compared to where it potentially

Approximately 947,570 Americans have Asperger’s Syndrome (AS), however, it is not an easy disorder to explain (Bashe 19). With multiple conditions and characteristics in each case, AS is not an easy disorder to diagnose. Asperger’s Syndrome was named after Hans Asperger, an Austrian physician, who first described the disorder in 1944 after studying a group of children with similar, unusual characteristics. However, AS was not made an official disease until 1994. Consequently, Asperger disease is just now becoming published and popular so there is still research and questions being answered. Asperger’s Syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder, is noted by above-average

Asperger’s syndrome, which is also referred to as Asperger's disorder, is a type of Persuasive Developmental Disorder. Persuasive Developmental Disorder or PDD are a group of conditions that involve delays in the development of basic skills, the most recognizable of these skills is the ability to communicate and socialize with others as well as use their own imagination. Although Asperger's syndrome is similar in some ways to autism, there are important differences between the two. Children with Asperger's syndrome typically function higher than those children with autism. In addition to them being higher functioning; children with Asperger's syndrome generally have normal intelligence and slightly less than normal language development.

Autism is a brain disorder that is characterized by slow and difficult comprehension of spoken and non-verbal communication and repetition of behaviors. Autism is normally noticed in the first two years of a child (Myers & Johnson, 2007). Asperger syndrome is an autistic disorder that has almost the same similarities with autism. People with Asperger syndrome have little comprehension of the world and its surroundings and poor communication with other people. People with Asperger syndrome are hard to recognize, as they do not show on their outward appearances. They are average or above average intellectually and have fewer problems in terms of speech and specific learning disabilities unlike in autism. These difficulties include dyslexia, epilepsy, and attention

Asperger’s syndrome is a developmental syndrome. It is said that every 2 out of 10,000 children are affected by this disorder. Asperger’s is mostly diagnosed in young children. Parents usually recognize symptoms of this disorder in their kids around the time they turn 3 years old. Asperger’s is sometimes considered a form of autism. I find this syndrome to be very intriguing. I’m going to enlighten you with more information about Asperger’s and a few real life cases of it.

The relationship between Asperger syndrome and autism has been a controversial topic in psychology. There is not a definite correlation which has been decided upon between the two and chiefly due to the fact that they are both overly similar. Concisely, psychologists seek to identify the main difference between them. In a simpler way, it is not yet clear whether autism and Asperger syndrome should be defined as independent (distinct) terms, or whether Asperger syndrome should be categorized under the wider realm of autism. In their researche, multiple scholars have come upon differing opinions and theories in support of their own perceptions of the two disorders which either agree or disagree at some point. Asperger syndrome is derived from Hans Asperger who is highly recognized for his efforts in defining the disease which many scholars had described as not diagnosable (Mayes, Calhoun & Crites, 2001).

Communication is one of the hardest challenges with Asperger's. People with Asperger's have a limited area of interest, resulting in the excessive discussion about this area of interest. They often do not realize that someone has lost interest in the topic of discussion ("PubMedHealth"). "Most treatment efforts focus on enhancing communication skills and reducing problem behaviors. For children with Asperger's syndrome, most therapy should consist of school education combined with special psychological supports for communication and socialization problems "("Magill's Medical Guide"). Fortunately, people, like Jacob, have tutors or teachers to help them converse and behave in a calm and collected manner. Jess, Jacob's tutor, teaches him how to order food politely, how to greet people, and overall, how to carry on a conversation without delving too deep into a certain subject. Being in a school environment gives one with Asperger's a sense of belonging or recognition. Jacob goes to a public school that allows him to use a "get out of class" pass if it gets too overwhelming for him.

While both Autism and Asperger’s are displayed on a scale of severity, it is still a common link between over 90% of participants- and the endeavors they present can make life for those with O.S., who most likely have symptoms of either disorder, extremely difficult.

In his book, Look Me in the Eye, author John Elder Robison offers a satisfying and thought-provoking memoir of a man growing up conflicted with Asperger’s syndrome. Asperger’s, as we have come to understand it, is an autism spectrum disorder distinguished by a pattern of indicators including qualitative deficiency in social interaction, by stereotyped and controlled patterns of behavior, activities and interests, and by no significant clinical delay in intellectual development or language. According to Robison, Asperger’s is not a disease that requires a cure, but rather one that requires understanding on behalf of others. Robison seeks to change the perception of readers and encourage understanding through a detailed overview of his life,

The first resource (Appendix A) is an information page entitled ‘What is Asperger Syndrome’ and particularly focusses on the medical/deficit model of disability, a model which involves identifying symptoms, diagnosing a disease or a deficit and prescribing appropriate treatment (E214, Unit 2, p. 47). This resource is aimed at people who have been diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome, for parents whose

We all have labels. Hundreds of them, maybe thousands. We are labeled from the day we are born until the day we die. White, black, smart, dumb, successful, worthless, popular, weird, attractive, ugly, Jewish, Muslim, Aspergian. These are just a few of the millions and millions of labels we affix to each other every day. Some labels are subjective. One man’s lunatic could be another man’s visionary. However, there are many labels that are permanent and inescapable. A white newborn will be white for their entire life. They cannot do anything to change their race. They will carry a “white” label to the grave. An Aspergian newborn will be Aspergian for their entire life. They cannot do anything to change their neurological makeup. They will carry an “Aspergian” label to the grave. It really is not up to us whether or not we will have a specific label. However, what we can choose is whether we will wear our labels with pride or wear our labels with shame. There are those of us who choose to pretend our inherent labels don’t exist. Living in denial is not living at all. The sooner one accepts the labels they can’t change, the better. If an individual has Asperger’s, pretending it 's not there won’t make it go away. An early Asperger’s diagnosis is crucial, for it can lead to treatment and acceptance.

Amazingly, one percent of new births will have some type of autism (Autism Society of America, 2010). Asperger’s disorder is one type of Autism, and is at the high end of these disorders. This “disorder, which is also called Asperger's syndrome (AS) or autistic psychopathy, belongs to a group of childhood disorders known as pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs) or autistic spectrum disorders”(Exkorn, 2006). A characteristic of this disorder is harsh and strict disruption of a certain type of brain development. The most affected areas of Asperger's disorder is difficulty in social understanding and in behavior or activities that are limited or recurring (Frey, 2003). Students with Asperser’s have different levels of seriousness,

Asperger’s can have an impact on a child physically, cognitively, socially and psychologically. Although, there are minor physiological impacts on the person with Asperger’s they are still present. They include lack of eye contact, facial expressions, body posture and a physical awkwardness or clumsiness (Calero 2015). They also may have difficulty with fine and or gross motor skills. In regards to the cognitive impact, there hasn’t been much research done, but according to Marcus L. Thomeer’s research study, he found “there is no clinically significant delay in cognitive development or in the development of age-appropriate self-help skills, adaptive behavior (other than in social interaction), and curiosity about the environment in childhood” (Thomeer, 2012). Most children with AS have average or above average intelligence.

Twenty years ago, we seldom heard of the terms Autism or Asperger's Syndrome. Today the terminology seems to be as well known as the words Schizophrenia or Down Syndrome . Most of us know someone who has a relative with one of these disorders, or have a child or a relative ourselves who has been diagnosed. While the terms are recognizable, these disorders are relatively new to the ordinary citizen. The knowledge of the cause, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment are even further limited. For those who have children or siblings that have one of these disorders, the symptoms and treatment are very well known, as they immerse themselves into learning as much as possible about the disorder.

Asperger syndrome is an uncommon condition, but probably more common than classic autism. Misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis of this disorder is a serious problem, and the average age at diagnosis is several years later than for autism (Gillberg, 1989). Obviously, this can be traumatic for individuals and families; furthermore, the most effective intervention programmes begin early, and establishing management strategies at an early age can minimise later behavioural problems (Howlin, 1998). In 1944 According to Hans Asperger he described a condition termed autistic psychopathy, characterised by problems in social integration and non-verbal communication associated with idiosyncratic verbal communication and an egocentric preoccupation