Asperger's Syndrome

Asperger's Syndrome

 

The frequency of autism diagonsises is on the rise due in fact to the recent inclusion of Asperger's Syndrome into the Autism Spectrum in the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders).


Asperger's Syndrome is characterized by an individual having social skills, repetitive behaviors, different sensory sensitivities but no significant speech delay, and an I.Q. within normal range. This form of Autism is named after the Austrian pediatrician Hans Asperger, whose studies in 1944 found that not everyone with Autism has the typical Kanner's syndrome form. He discovered that there were people with normal or even very high intelligence that had autistic tendencies. People with Asperger's Syndrome are often described as "High Functioning" but a better phrase to describe their syndrome would be a "Nonverbal Learning Disability". People with Asperger's Syndrome can be very successful if they get the support they need. Bill Gates has Asperger's Syndrome and it is thought that Albert Einstein also had Asperger's.