This post is just a quick educational opportunity about Asperger’s Syndrome

I readily admit that I have some pretty significant Aspie characteristics and have been studying this neurological condition for several years now. I recently came across a very well written article with 101 questions about this condition. I am going to use a small part of that article to tell you more about my story in dealing with Asperger’s. One thing I have discovered is that the vast majority of info available on this subject is related to Aspie children.

My almost total focus is about Aspie adults, and in particular senior citizens such as myself.

In addition to the graphic above, Here is some info I have gathered recently.

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How many people does this affect globally?
In 2015, Asperger Syndrome was estimated to affect 37.2 million people globally

Explain the origins of Asperger Syndrome.
The first account of the syndrome now known by his name was published by Hans Asperger in 1944, referred to then as “autistic psychopathy” (Baron-Cohen, 1988). Asperger noted that his four young male subjects shared the traits which would later be described as those of ASD, but without the deficits in language or cognitive skills. Asperger’s work, however, was largely ignored until work published by Wing in 1981, and Asperger syndrome was not introduced into ICD-10 or DSM until the early 1990s (Bjørkly, 2009)

What might Asperger’s Syndrome look like?
It is characterized by qualitative impairment in social interaction, by stereotyped and restricted patterns of behavior, activities and interests, and by no clinically significant delay in cognitive development or general delay in language. Intense preoccupation with a narrow subject, one-sided verbosity, restricted prosody, and physical clumsiness are typical of the condition, but are not required for diagnosis.
 
What are the key characteristics of High Functioning Autism or Asperger Syndrome?
Many of the Characteristics in Asperger Syndrome are very similar to the characteristics in Autism. The main characteristics can differ greatly, and some may be demonstrated more strongly than others due to everyone being different. The Key Characteristics are:

• Difficulty with Social Relationships Unlike people with classic autism, whom often appear withdrawn and uninterested in the world around them, Many people with Asperger Syndrome try very hard to be sociable and enjoy human contact. However, they do find if hard to understand the non-verbal signals like facial expressions.
• Difficulty with Communications people with Asperger Syndrome may sometimes speak very fluently, but they may not take much notice of the reaction of people listening to them. They may talk on and on, regardless if the person they’re talking to is not interested. Despite having good language skills, people with Asperger Syndrome may sometimes sound over-precise or over-literal. Sometimes jokes can cause problems, as can exaggerated language and metaphors. An example of this could be a simple statement like “she bit my head off” this statement may confuse or frightened the person with Asperger’s. While Asperger’s people often excel at learning facts and figures, they can find it hard to think in abstract ways. This can cause problems for children in school where they may have difficulty with certain subjects such as literature or religious studies.
• Special Interests People with Asperger’s often develop an almost obsessive interest in a hobby or collection. Usually, their interest involves arranging or memorizing facts about certain subjects. Some children with Asperger’s may also be very precise while playing with tops and find it hard when other children try to join in and move objects from a certain place. However, with encouragement, interests can be developed so that some people with Asperger’s can go on to study or work in their favorite subjects.
• Love of people with Asperger’s any unexpected change in a routine can be upsetting. Young Children may impose their new routine, such as insisting on always going the same way to school. At home or school they may get upset by sudden changes, such as changes to class activities. People with Asperger’s often prefer to order their day according to a set pattern. If they have set hours and there is any delay, such as a traffic hold up or any general lateness, this can cause them to be anxious or upset.