Asperger disorder is a form of pervasive developmental disorder characterized by persistent impairment in social interactions, repetitive behavior patterns, and restricted interests. Unlike autistic disorder, no significant aberrations or delays occur in language development or cognitive development. Asperger disorder is generally evident in children older than 3 years and occurs more often in boys.

Children with this disorder often exhibit a limited capacity for spontaneous social interactions, a failure to develop friendships, and a limited number of intense and highly focused interests. Although some people with Asperger disorder may have certain communication problems, including poor nonverbal communication and pedantic speech, many individuals have good cognitive and verbal skills. Bowler and colleagues have reported that, although people with Asperger disorder have fewer memories, the experiences of remembering are qualitatively similar in people with Asperger disorder compared with healthy control subjects.¹ Physical symptoms may include early childhood motor delays, clumsiness, fine motor difficulty, gait anomalies, and odd movements.

Individuals with Asperger disorder have normal or even superior intelligence and may make great intellectual contributions while demonstrating social insensitivity or even apparent indifference toward loved ones. Published case reports of individuals with Asperger disorder suggest an association with the capacity to accomplish cutting-edge research in computer science, mathematics, and physics. Although the deficits manifested by those with Asperger disorder are often debilitating, many individuals experience positive outcomes, especially those who excel in areas not dependent on social interaction.

Persons with Asperger disorder have exhibited outstanding skills in mathematics, music, and computer sciences. Many are highly creative, and many prominent individuals demonstrate traits suggesting Asperger syndrome. For example, biographers describe Albert Einstein as a person with highly developed mathematical skills who was unaware of social norms and insensitive to the emotional needs of family and friends.

Although normal language and cognitive development differentiate Asperger disorder from other developmental disorders, the severe social impairment associated with this condition overlaps with disorders such as high-functioning autism (HFA).

De Spiegeleer and Appelboom (2007) have pointed out that Asperger syndrome is an autism spectrum disorder. For clinical management purposes, Asperger disorder and HFA may be considered together. Impaired social skills are associated with several other conditions (eg, developmental learning disability of the right hemisphere, nonverbal learning disability, schizoid personality disorder, semantic-pragmatic processing disorder, social-emotional learning disabilities).

What Does It Mean to be Autistic

Autism is a brain disorder that too often results in a lifetime of impaired thinking, feeling, and social functioning — our most uniquely human attributes. Autism typically affects a person’s ability to communicate, form relationships with others, and respond appropriately to the external world. The disorder becomes apparent in children generally by the age of 3.

Autism (sometimes referred to as “classical autism”) is the most common condition in a group of developmental disorders known as the autism spectrum disorders.

Other autism spectrum disorders include:

• Childhood disintegrative disorder
• Asperger syndrome
• Rett syndrome
• Pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (usually called PDD-NOS).

Experts estimate that three to six children out of every 1,000 will become autistic. Males are four times more likely to be autistic than females. Autistic girls with tend to have more severe symptoms and greater cognitive impairment.

Common Autistic Behaviors

Autism is characterized by three distinctive behaviors. Autistic children:

• Display problems with verbal and nonverbal communication
• Have difficulties with social interaction
• Exhibit repetitive behaviors or narrow, obsessive interests.

Some autistic people can function at a relatively high level, with speech and intelligence intact. Others have serious cognitive impairments and language delays, and some never speak.

In addition, autistic individuals may seem closed off and shut down, or locked into repetitive behaviors and rigid patterns of thinking. An autistic infant may avoid eye contact, seem deaf, and abruptly stop developing language. The child may act as if unaware of the coming and going of others, or physically attack and injure others without provocation. Autistic infants often remain fixated on a single item or activity, rock or flap their hands, seem insensitive to burns and bruises, and may even mutilate themselves.