Asperger's Syndrome Essay

Submitted By anorbeck
Words: 454
Pages: 2

Asperger syndrome is a neurobiological disorder that is part of a group of conditions called autism spectrum disorders. The term "autism spectrum" refers to a range of developmental disabilities, that includes autism as well as other disorders with similar characteristics, that are characterized by social impairments, communication difficulties and restricted, repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior. Research shows that boys are far more likely to develop Asperger's syndrome than are girls. Even though not every person with Asperger’s will look or act alike, they will have most of the same characteristics: poor social skills, intense interest in a limited number of subjects, pronounced anxiety, a tendency to over act to certain stimuli, and rigidity of behavior. In addition, children with Asperger’s have problems with sleep, due to sensory sensitivities that makes it harder for them to fall asleep and easier for them to wake up due to an outside stimuli (e.g., touch or sound). An individual with Asperger’s tends to be socially isolated with few, if any, friends. They will appear naïve and serious, have difficulty understanding when people are joking with them, and will take comments literally. They do not believe in small talk and tend to follow the phrase: "say what you mean and mean what you say.” They often will have poor eye contact, and when intrigued by a specific problem or topic, they will talk about the same thing over and over without resolve. In addition, a child with Asperger’s will often have involuntary gestures such as hand flapping, finger twisting or snapping of fingers when excited or upset. This is seen less often in adults as they have often been trained out of this behavior. Another common attribute is poor handwriting. There are often sensory issues with those with Asperger’s. This means that they