Asperger's syndrome is a neurological disorder that shares many of the same characteristics of autism. A person suffering with Asperger's syndrome will have problems with communication, difficulty with social relationships and limitations in imaginative play and creative play. I could fill you full of facts and figures at this point but I feel this would make it even harder to understand. Let's try and explain this in a way everyone can understand.

We have many skills and abilities that we acquire as we grow, that most of us totally take for granted. If someone stood in front of you and asked you to guess their age, you would probably be able to have a reasonable guess and not be too far wrong. We are able to make judgements about a lot of things without even realising that we are doing it. By listening to the tone of someone's voice or looking at the expression on their face we are able to work out whether they are happy or sad, or angry and we can then respond accordingly. People with Asperger's syndrome are unable to read these signals and they therefore have real problems in social situations and can get very frustrated when they don't understand.

When two people are talking at the same time, we are able to separate the two voices and if you like 'tune in', to one or other of the conversations. A person with Asperger's may find this much more difficult and may not be able to make sense of either conversation. Where a person with autism would very often choose to avoid friendships, many people with Asperger's Syndrome would desperately like to be friends, but have no idea what a friend is or how to make one.
People with Asperger's take things literally and struggle with things like jokes and metaphors. Telling someone with Aspergers syndrome "'if you eat much more you will burst'' could leave them very confused and upset, wondering just how much food they have to eat before they burst.

You cannot see this condition as you can many others, people with Aspergers syndrome look perfectly normal and because sometimes some of the symptoms are hard to separate, a lot of the children are labelled 'naughty' and very often have had a hard time at school before they are diagnosed. Looking perfectly normal, means that they are really quite vulnerable and also susceptible to bullying.

OK, so I have told you a little bit about the condition. Let me tell you a little more of the problems that a child with Aspergers might face.
My son has Aspergers syndrome.

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