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Childhood Disorders

Asperger's syndrome: Disability or difference in ability?

Asperger's Syndrome is "named after Austrian pediatrician Hans Asperger," (according to Wikipedia.) He discovered this unique quality of life in which individuals appear to be blind to non-verbal communication, appear to be socially rote/non-instinctive, and also appear to be physically cumbersome (or walking with a different sort of gait.)

Asperger's Syndrome identifies an entire class of human beings who are so differently skilled from the norm that they are disabled only to the degree that Society defines the word, "able." In other words, Asperger's Syndrome is usually only a disability to those who do not have it.

"Social Blindness" (much like "color-blindness") is only a disability in a Society that deems the ability to read non-verbal cues (or the ability to read color cues) to be morally required for acceptance into polite society.

(Color-blind individuals are able to get a drivers license as long as they remember the positions of red lights and green lights, and recognize the shapes of road signs and their word meanings. The color-blind do not consider themselves to be disabled, and neither does the "socially blind" Asperger's Syndrome individual.)

To coin a thought "'Non-verbal communication' and 'social skills' are the two riders on the tandem bike of a socially-oriented society." Lack of these qualities is disabling only to the degree that socialism is society's "religion" of choice.

As long as Society talks in terms of what disqualifies or what disables an individual, then Society at large will be unable to function effectively in the presence of "highly unique/highly capable" people with talents that are oftentimes being under utilized due to being undervalued as an inherent penalty in the accumulation of social demerits.

Society needs to start thinking about the qualities that each individual possesses which enables the individual to perform a service in Society. For all the talk of positive self-image today, Society by its actions promotes mostly negative self-images.

(A case in point would be the moniker, Asperger's Syndrome [or weakness/idiosyncrasy/defect]. How can I be positive with a name, like that? To be labeled as having Asperger's Growth Pattern would be both positive and accurate, since Asperger's child-patients appeared to be highly intelligent though socially unskilled...with a growth pattern that is physically normal, yet socially altered. Dr. Asperger himself called these


Below are the top articles rated and ranked by Helium members on:

Asperger's syndrome: Disability or difference in ability?

  • 1 of 7

    by Jay O'Toole

    Asperger's Syndrome is "named after Austrian pediatrician Hans Asperger," (according to Wikipedia.) He discovered th... read more

  • 2 of 7

    by Sammy Stein

    Asperger's Syndrome is a disability but it does not make a person disabled. A disability is something which interfere... read more

  • 3 of 7

    by Ardeth Baxter

    All my life I've danced to a different drummer, but I used to assume that if I tried hard enough I'd become "normal".... read more

  • 4 of 7

    by A.J. Mahari

    Is Asperger's Syndrome a disability or a different ability? While both have some truth to them, Asperger's Syndrome, ... read more

  • 5 of 7

    by Crystal Cook

    Aspergers syndrome is both a disability and a difference in ability. It cannot simply be one or the other. A disabili... read more

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Asperger's syndrome: Disability or difference in ability?

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