Asperger Syndrome?

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My son just turned 16 on March 30th, he is my life and Im so upset. He was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome today... he has always been a very smart kid, however he was premature and he has had some problems, he had 3 sets of tubes in his ears by the time he was 4, he didnt learn to talk till he was almost 5 because "he couldnt hear" is what the dr said,he is very disorganized,doesnt do well in school, but does great when i homeschool him, he has a few friends but what friends he does have are close to him, people think he is rude and that he is ignoring them because when they talk he seems not to pay attention or turns his back, however he knows everything they said,he never tells anyone that he loves them,not even me or his dad, he has a very bad gait when he walks i was told it was called the "charlie chaplin" walk, he refuses to eat with a fork or knife, he has severe writing skill problems , i have been begging dr's to tell me what was wrong with for the past 13 years...
but no one could ever give me an answer,until today after tons of testing i was told my son has an above normal I.Q., however he sufferes from a mild form of autism called asperger syndrome, im so upset my world just crashed down on me, im afraid, angry , worried...has anyone else been diagnosed with this?
however my son can type 65 words a minute with no mistakes and tear down a computer and rebuild it...hes very smart just wont apply it
I study a lot of things since I left the army confused about why things happen in the world. I began with religious philosophies, then spread into political ones, and finally added social institutions. Along the way, I pay attention to medical discoveries and other sciences.

My occupation, from the time I was 19, was an engineer for computer manufacturers. I'm an electrical engineer, with some background in mechanical engineering.

I'm also severely clinically depressed, but keep functional with significant amounts of medication. That didn't hit me until a time of great stress at mid life.

My sister is bipolar and schizo-affected but not very functional. She has been that way since she was about 19. Schizophrenia hits about then.

I noted my studies and family mental illnesses because one of the things I learned is that very intelligent people often begin life with "too much" awareness. It becomes overwhelming and they learn to shut out some of it so they can focus enough to function at all. If they don't, the world around them is just a screeching chaos. The sounds and sights in the distance mix with the sounds and sights near by and with the thoughts in their head.

I was a "cranky" baby. One theory claims such sensory overwhelming is the cause of that. Your son might be reacting to the overwhelming chaos he senses around him, and in his mind.

I hope he manages to get through this. I would see a neurologist and a psychiatrist. I suspect medication for schizophrenia might help even now. It's worth consulting a psychiatrist if you can avoid the chance he'll fall into such a condition later.  (+ info)

Asperger syndrome?

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My daughter is 3 years old and has been going to the child development unit since she was a baby for developmental delays and other problems. yesterday we had an appointment and they told me they are pretty sure she has asperger syndrome which is similar to autism. They started asking alot of questions about her dad and his behaviours and they said it sounds like he could possibly have it too. I am fine about my daughter I love her unconditionally but my question is should I tell my husband that they think he could possibly have it. I know he won't take it well and if he does it is obviously mild and he's not known this long and he's fine. Do you think he needs to know or should I keep it to myself?
blixa22, they are obviously not sure that he has it and they're not certain that my daughter has it they still have to do some more tests before she can be diagnosed. and you're right I need to know if my daughter does so she can get the help she needs.
Watch My Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbgUjmeC-4o  (+ info)

asperger syndrome???

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like wat is it
It is a disorder that is like mild autism. It is caused by chemicals in the brain (although we don't exactly know how). People who have it have trouble interacting with others socially. They have a hard time understanding what nonverbal cues mean (facial expressions, tone of voice, etc) It has nothing to do with intelligence but sometimes people may seem to be of low intelligence since their social skills are poor. People with asperger's may seem odd, innapropriate, or uncomfortable in social settings such as school, or other groups. Sometimes they get fixated on an idea or behavior and find it uncomfortable to stop.  (+ info)

What is the difference between Asperger Syndrome and Asperger Disorder?

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I was reading a book about people in history who could have AS. But the author says one person could have Asperger Disorder instead of Asperger Syndrome.
Asperger disorder is another name for Asperger syndrome-they are one in the same:

Asperger syndrome ( also called Asperger's syndrome, Asperger's disorder, Asperger's or AS) is one of several autism spectrum disorders (ASD) characterized by difficulties in social interaction and by restricted, stereotyped interests and activities.
Hope this helps!!  (+ info)

How can I make my friend with asperger syndrome feel better about herself?

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My best friend has asperger syndrome and she usually tells me how crappy she is. I always try to make her feel better about herself, but nothing seems to work. Help please?
This is tough, as she already has low self-esteem. see if you can find some story of a person who overcame the very problem she has, as she needs a goal to aim for  (+ info)

What percentage of individuals with Autism or Asperger syndrome get married?

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I have Asperger syndrome. But I was wondering out of curiosity, it seems as if most "normal" people eventually get married at some point in their lives. This may not necessarily be true of autistic individuals, so does anybody have statistics?
I don't think there's a specific statistic, but it is known that many people with Aspergers do get married. I know a few who have. Aspergers only creates a delay in understanding social cues, it doesn't make a person unable to have good relationships.  (+ info)

What is the difference between being bipolar and having asperger's syndrome?

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I read that there is a fine line between being bipolar and having asperger's syndrome (which is on the autism spectrum) and it is often hard to diagnose one from the other. Is this true? Can someone have both of these disorders?
Those are two very different things. Asperger's syndrome is a pervasive developmental disorder. Bipolar disorder (also known as manic depression) is a mental illness.

Someone with Asperger's syndrome is "socially blind". They struggle with social interactions, they are socially awkward, cannot read or use body language or facial expressions well, have difficulty making eye contact, may not understand sarcasm, jokes or politeness and tend to take things literally, may display socially inappropriate behavior without realizing it, may lack empathy, have obsessive interests and may have problems such as sensory issues and poor motor skills.

Someone with bipolar disorder has extreme emotional ups and downs. One day they may feel so depressed that they can't get out of bed or do simple daily things. The next day they may feel great and be full of energy and feel like they can do anything.

It is not hard to diagnose one from the other. They are not really similar. Someone with Asperger's syndrome may throw tantrums or have meltdowns, which I suppose can seem similar to when a bipolar person goes from an extreme up to an extreme down, but everything else is very different.  (+ info)

What important people in history have had asperger's syndrome?

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Im writing a paper for health class and i had to do a report on asperger's syndrome and i had an idea that i should look up people who had the dissorder.
Temple Grandin, a famous behaviour scientist was diagnosed with autism.

But there could have been many important people autistic in history, since the diagnosos is very young. So the psychologist Simon Baron-Cohen made a list with some people (please notice, that this is not a clinical diagnosis):
Isaac Newton
Immanuel Kant
Albert Einstein
Alfred Hitchcock
Karl Valentin
Ludwig van Beethoven
Howard Hughes (---> Scorsese's Film Aviator)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Glenn Gould

not dead:
Steven Spielberg
Michael Palin
Bill Gates  (+ info)

What's the difference between being a sociopath and Asperger's syndrome?

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I have heard a fair amount about Asperger's syndrome lately. How does it differ from being a sociopath?
Isn't the no feeling for others, no empathy a symptom of asperger's?
Sociopaths lack the ability to feel empathy, guilt, and remorse (for the knowledge of hurting others). They essentially have no conscience and their sense of right and wrong, though they have the ability to know what society considers right and wrong, and they usually have the ability to acknowledge that others have this odd sense of emotion that they are lacking. The often tend to be experts at socializing, but to a sociopath, another human is really no different from an interactive object.

A person with Aspgerger's Syndrome can feel empathy, guilt, and remorse. The person with Asperger's Syndrome just does not have an innate ability to catch on to the rules of socialization. They also tend to have trouble picking up on subtle social cues.

So people with Asperger's Syndrome basically have a non-verbal communication deficit while sociopaths have a lack of ability to feel. They are two different things.  (+ info)

How common,do you think asperger`s syndrome is in the general population?

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They say,where are all the autistic adults?Could it be they have asperger`s syndrome?
There are many people in the population who have fallen through the cracks who are undiagnosed. Up until recently, (last 5-10 years) the knowledge and awareness of Aspergers Syndrome was very limited. Furthermore, since many times a person on the spectrum has co-morbid conditions (ADHD, OCD, Schizophrenia for example) in the past many people on the spectrum have been either misdiagnosed, or under-diagnosed.

Besides the lack of awareness, since this is a spectrum disorder, that as of now, cannot be diagnosed definitively with a blood or DNA test, it can in many cases be difficult to diagnose. The "spectrum" manifests itself in that some people with AS may have severe or very blatant symptoms while other may have mild ones. Some researchers have used the term "polar-opposites" in terms of behaviors -- so one individual may have a need to maintain rigid routines, while another may not. One person may be very strict about getting to appointments on time and the other may always be late. There are some excellent books on AS -- here: http://tinyurl.com/3675u


Dr. Tony Attwood describes Aspergers using the analogy of a puzzle. At a recent conference he said that if you have about 80% of the pieces (including key corner and side pieces) you have AS, and most everyone in the general population has 10-20 pieces so many of us have some AS traits and some people fall somewhere in between...

The puzzle example explains why one person with AS may stick rigidly to routines while another person with AS does not have a need for strict routines. I specifically asked Dr. Attwood if the absence of a typical AS behavior or symptom could or would rule out an Aspergers diagnosis and he emphatically stated that it wouldn't. Aspergers is the dx when you have someone with many of the AS behaviors at a high rate of occurance and certain level of severity -- and not everyone has the same set of traits . He also stated that there are exceptions to the rules....

One of the most important thing to know about Aspergers is that if you have met one person with Aspergers, you have only met ONE person with Aspergers -- in other words, each person has their own, individual and unique set of charecteristics and behaviors. This makes it quite difficult to diagnose when the person in question does not have some of the more blatent, classic, severe symptoms. Not every one with AS has sterotypical behavior and many people with AS can *mask* their symptoms in public, but under stress, or in private they loose control and allow AS symptoms to show.

Add to all this that many Aspies have a high level of intelligence, and a good memory as well as well developed mimicry skills -- which has enabled many of the ones who were never diagnosed, to learn the coping skills that they need to try to blend in to society as a whole.

Now that more children are being dx'd and there is a greater awareness about Autism Spectrum Disorders as a whole, are we seeing more adults who are recognizing various spectrum traits in themselves and some are proceed to get an official dx while others are content to self-diagnose.

Other than the official DSM which in many peoples' opinion, is poorly formulated, here are a few links that might help you learn about how to recognize AS:

http://spectraquarterly.org/index.php/asd-symptom-list

http://www.udel.edu/bkirby/asperger/aspergerscaleAttwood.html

And here are a couple of links that can assist in self-assessment"

http://www.rdos.net/eng/Aspie-quiz.php

http://myweb.usf.edu/~begeiger/as-symptoms.html  (+ info)

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