It is hard to imagine that there are children who do not know how to respond emotionally or socially to their surroundings. I had the opportunity in my career to meet such a child. This boy doesn't know when it's the right time to laugh or cry. When someone smiles at him, he thinks they're making fun of him. He takes every spoken word literally, and does exactly what you say. This youngster isn't able to determine when another child is joking with him. What amazed me the most is his artistic talent. In kindergarten he was able to draw at a fifth grade level. Academically the boy was above level with his spelling and reading. This child suffers from a disorder on the autistic spectrum called Asperger's Syndrome. Children with Asperger's tend to excel beyond their autistic tendencies, and may deserve the title "little professors."
Hans Asperger, an Austrian psychiatrist, phrased the term "little professors" when he discussed his autistic case study patients. He was impressed with how mature and clever the language they used sounded (Paradiz 67). Asperger also noted, "Often they had highly specific interests and fixations involving a large degree of memorized fact" (Paradiz 67). In 1944, Asperger described an "abnormality of personality" which he called "autistic psycopathy" (What is 1). During this study, Hans Asperger viewed some children who had autistic tendencies with social and communication skills. These same boys had normal intelligence and language development. It wasn't until 1977 that Asperger's work was translated into English, and accepted by the United States (What is 1). Asperger's Syndrome was recognized in 1994, and was added to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Asperger 1). This makes Asperger's a relatively new disorder that is still being studied today.
Researchers have recognized that children with Asperger's display autistic characteristics. These children show signs of limited eye contact, the inability to socialize, a monotone voice, and limited facial expressions. Another symptom that may be observed is their reaction to high pitch sounds (by covering ears or screaming). When over stimulated the children may jump in place, or even flap their hands. Children with this disorder can suffer from many different sensory issues. Some rather unique characteristics very different from autism may be displayed by children with this syndrome.
One of the most interesting and distinctive characteristics is how they fixate on one special subject. They sound like walking encyclopedias when talking about their fixations. An Asperger's child tends to absorb and remember every word they read, or hear about their fixation. The Asperger's child likes having long detailed conversations about their topics. They tend to ramble on about the subject even if you do not show interest. It is not unusual for these children to have multiple fixation subjects. It may be this natural ability to memorize that helps Asperger's children achieve high academic levels in school. A majority of children with Asperger's do well academically. The paragraph below from Time Magazine is a good example of what an Asperger's child is like.
Pam Barrett recalls that as a 3-year-old, Tommy was a fluent, even voluble talker, yet he could not seem to grasp that conversation had reciprocal rules, and curiously, he avoided looking into other people's eyes. And although Tommy was obviously smarthe had learned to read by the time he was 4he was so fidgety and unfocused that he was unable to participate in his kindergarten reading group (Nash 1).
For many of you the above paragraph sounds like an everyday NT (neurotypical) child. Autistic people use the term NT (neurotypical) to describe the non autistic culture (Asperger's Syndrome). Children with disorders on the autistic spectrum handle social situation different than NT children. The Asperger's child doesn't understand that people can respond to social situations in different ways. You can't speak to these children literally (Asperger's Syndrome). For instance if you say something like "hit the road Jack," they may go out, and physically hit the road. It is hard for this child to comprehend that there could be multiple meanings to a statement. The child with Asperger's can be trained to avoid embarrassing situations like the one mentioned.
Generally the Asperger's child is treated with a very structured schedule to help them stay focused on their daily routine. It may be this high structured life style that helps them perform at a higher academic level. It is amazing those individuals of such high intelligent lack social skills. The Asperger's child needs to receive social skills training. Cue cards that show emotions such as, happy or sad may be used throughout this training. Sometimes they have diet restrictions as well. Medicine can be used to treat symptoms caused by Asperger's. Treatments may change as the medical community becomes more proficient at diagnosing this disorder.
Children aren't usually diagnosed with this disorder until around three years old. Asperger's Syndrome tends to be difficult to identify at an early age. This is due to the child using big words and learning the alphabet at a young age. (Asperger's Syndrome). Once again, this is showing us the range of an Asperger's child intellectual development. The statement below from the Autism Society of America's webpage explains part of the diagnostic procedure.
The DSM-IV criteria for AS specifies that individual must have "severe and sustained impairment in social interaction, and the development restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests and activities," that must "cause clinically significant impairment in social occupational or other important areas of functioning" (Autism Society 2).
Determining a child's social interaction may be difficult until they enter an interactive environment, such as school. The intelligence of the Asperger's child may be a hindrance when it comes to a diagnosis. When children are diagnosed early with Asperger's they tend to lead a normal and successful life.
Diagnosing this disorder is not easy because the medical field does not understand what causes it. Some of the popular unconfirmed causes of this disorder are the effects from MMR vaccinations, prenatal medicines, and chemical environmental factors. Genetic factors have also been considered as a cause (Nash 3-9). For now there is no real scientific reason for the cause of this syndrome.
The medical profession is still researching the causes of Asperger's Syndrome, and they're starting to question if it's really on the Autistic Spectrum. The following reference comes from a clinical case conference on Asperger's Disorder, where comparisons of autism and Asperger's were made.
Rigorously designed and controlled studies that address the validity of the diagnostic concept are clearly needed; at present it may be that studies that employ stricter diagnostic criteria are more likely to show important differences between Asperger's disorder and autism (Volkmar, Fred R., et al. 266).
If these children are not on the autistic spectrum, then perhaps their intelligence is not an amazing feat. Until the medical profession does more controlled testing, it may be safe to assume that Asperger's Syndrome is on the autistic spectrum. When you think of an autistic child, you think of a child that lives in their own little world. It's not easy for an autistic child to let others know what's going on inside of them. With all that Asperger's children achieve, it is amazing to think this child has social limitations. Perhaps Asperger's may be an asset to these children, and the disorder may play a role to help them acquire this genius ability. In Lawrence Osborne's book, American Normal, he states:
As we have seen, genius is also inextricably bound up with the symbolism of Asperger
Syndrome. Some have even called it a "genius syndrome." The Asperger person is held to be a prodigy, a savant, a nucleus of extraordinary abilities neurotypicals can only marvel at. "Civilization," Temple Grandin has remarked, "would pay a terrible price if the genes which cause autism and Asperger's Syndrome were eradicated"(81).
There are many famous geniuses who stand out as having a hint of Asperger's symptoms. One notable person who showed signs of Asperger's was Albert Einstein. He was quite brilliant with his theory of relativity, and wore shabby clothes. It's been theorized that socially he may have been aloof. Another was Andy Warhol, who claimed to have "missing chemicals" that caused him to be different (Paradiz 157). Some other well known individuals included in this category are Van Gogh, Darwin, Gregor Mendel, and Bill Gates (Osborne 140). If these famous people really had, or have Asperger's, than perhaps Asperger's Syndrome children have truly earned the title of "little professors."
Works Cited
"Asperger Syndrome." 2002. Special Child. 31 July 2004 .
"Asperger's Syndrome." Interview. The Diane Rehm Show. WAMU, Washington, DC. 10 June 2002. 31 July 2004 .
Autism Society of America. "Asperger Syndrome." 2004. ASA. 31 July 2004 .
Nash, Madeleine J. "The Secrets of Autism, The number of children diagnosed with autism and Asperger's in the U.S. is exploding. Why?" Time Magazine May 2002: 1+.
Osborne, Lawrence. American Normal. New York: Copernicus Books, 2002.
Paradiz, Valerie. Elijah's Cup. New York: The Free Press, 2002.
Volkmar, Fred R., et al. "Asperger's Disorder." Am J Psychiatry 157:2 (2000): 262-267.
"What is Asperger's Syndrome?" 7 May 2004. O.A.S.I.S.. 31 July 2004 .