What is Asperger’s

• Asperger’s is also known as Asperger’s/Asperger Syndrome, Asperger’s disorder and AS.

• Asperger’s is a form of autism, but people with AS differ from those with other autism disorders due to their relatively normal verbal and cognitive development.

• Individuals with AS show difficulty in their ability to interact socially and emotionally, including impaired nonverbal behavior such as eye contact, facial expressions, posture, and gesture, which may make it difficult to develop friendships. The difficulty of showing empathy is possibly the most dysfunctional aspect of Asperger’s.

• Unlike with most autistic disorders, people with AS are not usually withdrawn, but approach others, even if awkwardly. Example: engaging in a one-sided, long-winded speech about a favorite topic while misunderstanding or not recognizing the listener’s feelings or reactions, such as need for privacy or desire to get away. This failure to react appropriately to social interaction may come across as insensitivity to others’ feelings.

• An intense interest in very specific, narrow topics is a common feature of those with AS. They may collect volumes of detailed information on the topic without necessarily understanding the bigger picture. (Example: memorizing camera model numbers while caring little about photography.)

• Asperger’s is named after Austrian pediatrician Hans Asperger who in 1944 described children in his practice who lacked nonverbal communication skills, could not empathize with their peers, and were physically clumsy.

• Fifty years later, AS was standardized as a diagnosis, but many questions about it remain.

• The cause or causes of Asperger’s are unknown, but research supports the likelihood of it being genetic.

• There is no single treatment for Asperger’s; its management usually comes from behavioral therapy to address communication skills, obsessive or repetitive routines and clumsiness. Most individuals with AS can improve over time, but difficulties with communication, social adjustment and independent living continue into adulthood.

• Some researchers and people with AS have advocated a shift in attitudes toward the view that AS is a “difference,” rather than a disability that must be treated or cured.

• People with Asperger syndrome may refer to themselves in casual conversation as “aspies.”

• Such famous historical figures thought to have possibly had AS include Thomas Jefferson, Albert Einstein, Wolfgang Mozart and Charles Darwin.

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The above information was derived from Wikipedia.