What is Aspergers?
This is the question that you must ask yourself in case that you do not know too many things about this disorder. In order to give you a straight answer, you should know that Aspergers is a syndrome that belongs to the autism spectrum. This disorder has been recognized by all Psychiatric Associations since 1994. Although the causes of Aspergers are unknown, some current studies show that it affects about 60 individuals out of 1,000.
Aspergers Syndrome – History, Evolution and Characteristics
The Aspergers syndrome wears the name of the pediatrician Hans Aspergers, a doctor who discovered this disorder in 1944. After a few years of studies, Hans Aspergers realized that his patients were exhibiting some common behavioral patterns. Although this disorder was not widely researched and recognized, the renowned doctor tried to share the information that he had about the symptoms and signs of this syndrome. This way, the most common Aspergers signs and symptoms include:
- repetitive movements like pacing, jumping and rocking
- issues in starting or maintaining close relationships
- behavior that is out of the ordinary in social situations
- incapability of recognizing the feelings and thoughts of other people
- factual discussions without a social character
- intelligence that is higher than average
- social innocence
By knowing all these symptoms, you can easily find out a more complex answer to the question, “What is Aspergers?”.Obviously, the list of these symptoms is much longer but the aforementioned ones are the most common and essential signs that anyone who wonders, “What is Aspergers Syndrome?” must know. Another important thing that you should be aware of is the fact that most signs are recognizable in small children, but the diagnosis usually occurs much later. Additionally, the misdiagnosis of those who suffer from this syndrome is a common fact. In many cases, most sufferers are diagnosed and treated for one of the attention deficit syndromes instead of Aspergers.
Illustrious Personalities
In case that you still wonder “What is Aspergers?” and cannot identify this syndrome by placing it in a specific time and space, you should know that the humanity has registered the existence of a few illustrious personalities who also suffered from this disorder. Therefore, a few of these personalities are Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, Beethoven and Al Gore.
And even though the experts do not provide any official cure for this syndrome, the truth is that it can be controlled quite well. Moreover, those who suffer from Aspergers can live some truly happy lives. But, as in any other case that implies such disorders, the crucial aspect relates to proper diagnosis to which we should add family and professional care and support.
A Few Interesting Points
The fact that those people who suffer from Aspergers usually record better results in terms of intelligence patterns than those with some other development disorders is quite interesting. Moreover, most sufferers have impeccable language skills but, unfortunately, their conversation abilities are lacking. Therefore, if you still ask yourself, “What is Aspergers?” you should keep in mind that this syndrome does not really have a major impact on the lives of the sufferers – especially because they are not fully aware of having this disorder – but it definitely is overwhelming for the rest of us.