ASPERGER’S SYNDROME

1. ASPERGER’S SYNDROME The condition that Christopher has in our text

2. What is Asperger’s Syndrome? • There is a debate as to whether Asperger’s Syndrome is a form of Autism or whether it is a separate condition.

3. Where Asperger’s Syndrome Differs from Autism

4. Triad of Autistic Impairment Impairment of language and communication Impairment of social interaction Impairment of flexibility of thought

5. In fact….. People with Asperger’s Syndrome usually have average or above average intelligence…. Watch this cliphttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RW1qHA5Hqwc

6. So what is Asperger’s Syndrome? A person with Asperger’s has a different way of thinking and interacting with their environment

7. Is there a cure? No, it is a lifelong disorder, a development disability affecting the brain and there is, therefore no cure.

8. Difficulties with Communication may include: • poor quality eye-contact • pedantic speech • odd intonation • inappropriate communication to social context • literalism – little understanding of jokes etc.

9. Asperger’s Syndrome, like autism, affects the understanding of common phrases and idioms ‘Shake a leg’ ‘Has the cat got your tongue?’ ‘You can say that again!’ ‘You’re pulling my leg’ ‘You must be joking’ ‘Lets have a toast to the bride’

10. Difficulties with Social Interaction • a lack of attention to people • not responding when addressed in a group • needing personal space, but not understanding that others need personal space • problems with understanding emotions • reluctance to engage interactively with other people

11. Other Possible Features of Social Impairment • Prefers to find a secluded place rather than be with others • Can make personal comments without understanding why this may cause offence • Expects other people to know their thoughts and feelings • Sometimes indifferent to peer pressure • May not understand peer pressure but will submit to try and ‘fit in’ – can be suggestible and inadvertently ‘get into trouble’ at the instigation of someone else • Expressions of emotion often inappropriately extreme

12. Lack of Flexibility of Thought • finds difficulty in empathising and generalising • rigidity – difficulties with change/having to get to the end • lack of central coherence – is likely to see the individual sheep rather than the whole herd of sheep • may refuse to undertake a task if its purpose is not understood • underlying fears and coping mechanisms

13. Difficulties With The Abstract • Whilst they often excel at learning facts and figures, people with Asperger’s Syndrome find it hard to think in abstract ways. • This can cause problems with certain subjects as literature or religious studies.

14. At a conference which was attended by adults with Autism, an adult stood up and contributed the following: “You people who do not have autism are like cars. You are free to drive wherever you want to go, and take whichever route you want. We who have autism are like trains. We can go forward, but we cannot leave our tracks; we can only go in one direction. However, you people who do not have autism want us to be like you. You come and try to pull us of our tracks so that we can be free like you – and in doing so you pull up our sleepers and destroy our lines so that we cannot go forward at all.”