...Aspergers? What's that?
Asperger's Syndrome is commonly called high-functioning autism. It can vary in degree, but some folks(like myself) have a case so mild it is barely there. It is a common syndrome, and is frequently mistaken for ADHD, Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia(especially in children), or Psychosis. It was described by Austrian physician Hans Asperger back in the 1940s, but was not officially made diagnosable until 1995, the year after I had an eval done :angry:. I did not know until I was nineteen. There is no cognitive impairment, and in fact they tend to have above average IQ's. Their main problem is socialization. See, folks with Asperger's can't "read" gestures, vocal tone, puns, and other non-verbal ques. Basically, we're blind to being able to interpret others' emotions and may even take them the wrong way. They also have problems with motor skills(eye-hand coordination), pain sensation(I get my teeth worked on without novacane and feel no pain, yet can feel a fly land on me when I'm sleeping :blink:), temperature sensation(wearing tanktops outside in ten-degree conditions), other sensory problems(I have terribly sensitive hearing but somewhat bad vision), like routines and consistent schedules, have strong emotional reactions, tend to be very good-natured, and find they enjoy quiet settings and not parties. In a nutshell, the trademark of a person with Asperger's is having a quirky nature. Here's another tidbit: many, many folks with Asperger's tend to be obsessed about computers, dinosaurs, or both
. Believe me, they're everywhere
. They just seem so "normal" that they blend into society quite well; they're just the ones labeled as eccentric, quirky, or weird. When one thinks of the word "autism," they picture the basketcases of that disorder. However, there is a broad spectrum of autistic disorders, the mildest being Asperger's Syndrome. One in every one-hundred fifty people are born autistic, and from what I learned as many as sixteen per every one-hundred folks have Asperger's. Like I said, it is mild and many have lived their lives having no idea they had or have it. Who knows? Chances are there are other members here who have it, or they know folks who have it. It is very common indeed
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