Those who suffer from Asperger syndrome are marked with impaired social behavior, motor milestones, limited patterns of repetitiveness and even clumsiness. It is also known as Asperger’s Syndrome or AS and is one of many disorders concerning autism. AS patients have a lot of the same symptoms as those individuals who have high functioning autism. This sometimes makes a diagnosis difficult because the two disorders are so similar. However, AS is different from any other type of autistic disorder in that there is no delay in their language skills or their cognitive development.
Hans Asperger, an Austrian pediatrician, was the first to pinpoint the disorder in 1944, when he described his patients as failing to demonstrate empathy, as well as lacking nonverbal communication skills. It wasn’t until 50 years later that this syndrome was finally recognized and classified as an actual disorder. Today, there are still many questions about the autistic disorder-like impairment. There has long been doubt about the differences in high functioning autistic individuals and those that have AS.
Many physicians use individual treatment plans, depending on the age of the individual, to help manage the lives of those who have Asperger syndrome. The plans vary depending on the development and functioning of the person and can be changed as the person progresses in development. Treatments for AS are very similar to those used to treat highly functioning patients with autism.
There are many forms of disorders within the autism spectrum, and asperger syndrome is just one of them. Since it was first found, there have been many different studies to try to fully understand this disorder, yet there is still not enough information to allow physicians to understand it completely. It is understood that individuals with AS share some of the same symptoms as those who have high functioning autistic disorders. It will take much more research to try to fully understand why these disorders, even though they are part of the autism spectrum, so closely resemble each other.
Tags: asperger syndrome, autism spectrum, autistic, autistic disorder, high functioning autism
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