Contents
Preface 9
1. What is Asperger’s Syndrome? 11
2. The Diagnosis 35
3. Social Understanding and Friendship 55
4. Teasing and Bullying 95
5. Theory of Mind 112
6. The Understanding and Expression of Emotions 128
7. Special Interests 172
8. Language 202
9. Cognitive Abilities 228
10. Movement and Coordination 259
11. Sensory Sensitivity 271
12. Life After School: College and Career 292
13. Long-term Relationships 304
14. Psychotherapy 316
15. Frequently Asked Questions 327
Glossary 348
Resources 351
References 359
Subject Index 382
Author Index 393
Preface
The Complete Guide to Asperger’s Syndrome provides a personal perception of children, teenagers
and adults with Asperger’s syndrome based on my extensive clinical experience
and reviewing and contributing to research studies and publications. I am a practising
clinician and intend the guide to be of practical value to parents, professionals and
people with Asperger’s syndrome. I have tried to refrain from indulging in too many
technical terms so that the text can be easily read by someone who does not have a postgraduate
degree in psychology. For fellow clinicians and academics who seek more
information, I have provided the references that can substantiate specific statements and
provide further information. I have also included many quotations from the autobiographies
of people with Asperger’s syndrome. Each chapter starts with a quotation from
Hans Asperger and closes with a quotation by a person with Asperger’s syndrome. I
think that those who have Asperger’s syndrome should have the last comment.
The Complete Guide to Asperger’s Syndrome was written to provide parents and professionals
with the latest information to understand and help a family member or person
with Asperger’s syndrome, but was also written for the personal benefit of people with
Asperger’s syndrome. My intention is that reading the guide will enable someone with
Asperger’s syndrome to understandwhy he or she is different to other people, and not to
feel dejected or rejected. It is also important for others to remember that there is always a
logical explanation for the apparently eccentric behaviour of people with Asperger’s
syndrome. The guide will explain the logic and perspective of the person with
Asperger’s syndrome.
The year of publication (2006) is the centenary of the birth of Hans Asperger, and
the more I explore theworld as perceived by people with Asperger’s syndrome, the more
I acknowledge the accuracy of his detailed descriptions of four children, Fritz, Harro,
Ernst and Hellmuth, over 60 years ago. I never met Hans Asperger but have great respect
for his understanding and admiration of a distinct group of children who are also my
heroes. A few years ago I met his daughter, Maria Asperger-Felder, a child psychiatrist in
Switzerland, and Iwas entranced by her stories about her father, his abilities and personality,
but particularly the circumstances inwhich heworked in Vienna in the late 1930s.
Maria gave me one of her father’s papers, published in 1938,when he first described
the characteristics that several years later became known as autistic personality disorder,
and eventually Asperger’s syndrome in 1981. As a paediatrician in Nazi-occupied
Austria, he was bravely arguing against the recently introduced law for the ‘prevention
of offspring suffering from hereditary diseases’. He advocated that education will
‘render harmless the dangers which are in a child’s genetic disposition’. He wanted to
save the children at his clinic from beingmurdered, and vehemently argued that children
who are unusual are not necessarily inferior. Hewas clearly an opponent of Nazism.
While there is an interesting history regarding the development of our understanding
of children and adults with Asperger’s syndrome, what are our hopes for the future?
In the next decade, we need to reach consensus on the diagnostic criteria, and study the
signs of Asperger’s syndrome in very young children so that they can benefit from early
intervention programs. Governments need to increase the allocation of resources to
support children with Asperger’s syndrome at school, and help adults with Asperger’s
syndrome to achieve employment appropriate to their qualifications and abilities. In our
modern society we need and benefit from the talents of people with Asperger’s
syndrome.
I amconcerned that government departments rarely have policies and resources specifically
for people with Asperger’s syndrome. The diagnosis can sometimes actually be
used by government agencies to avoid services rather than access services. I hope that
greater public awareness of the circumstances and abilities of people with Asperger’s
syndrome will influence the decisions of politicians, especially as there will soon be a
deluge of adults who are seeking a diagnostic assessment. This is the generation that
missed the opportunity to be identified and understood.
In the next decade, more professionals will specialize in Asperger’s syndrome, and
we will see the establishment of local diagnostic and treatment clinics specifically for
children and adults with Asperger’s syndrome. If the prevalence of Asperger’s syndrome
is about 1 person in 250, then there will be sufficient referrals for access to expertise to
maintain a national network of clinics and specialists.
We clearly need more research on Asperger’s syndrome, particularly into aspects of
sensory perception. Many people with Asperger’s syndrome are desperate to reduce
their sensitivity to specific sounds and other sensory experiences. At present, clinicians
and therapists have little to offer to reduce auditory, tactile and olfactory sensitivity.We
also need to develop and evaluate programs to encourage friendship and relationship
skills, the management of emotions and the constructive application of special interests.
I also hope that in the future there will be a more positive and encouraging attitude
towards people with Asperger’s syndrome, and an increase in their self-esteem. I wrote
this guide to disseminate the recent knowledge that has been acquired on Asperger’s
syndrome, but it was also written to change attitudes. Knowledge changes attitudes,
which in turn can change abilities and circumstances.
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