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Asperger's Syndrome
and
related disorders

Our son has a disorder by the name of Asperger’s Syndrome. Along with this disorder
there can be tendencies of having OCD, ODD, ADD & others.
Although not all experts agree, it looks as if all of his diagnosis' fall under the
proverbial umbrella of an Autistic Spectrum disorder or Pervasive Developmental disorder.

Aspergers Syndrome has only been recognized by the DSM-IV since 1994.
I am trying to get as many links on Asperger’s Syndrome and related disorders as I can.
Surely there are bound to be duplicates within some of the links,
as I have not had time to check them all. I wanted to put what I found into a centralized spot
to be able to go back and visit at my leisure.

Please note that I am by no means a medical expert or mean to endorse any of the sites I list on this page.
These are places I wanted to save in order to do research to try to help and understand our son better.
In the process of doing so, I am hoping that this page will help others who have been searching
for the same information as I have.

Always looking for new information I would be happy to share experiences
and compare notes with anyone interested. Gib

Diagnostic Criteria from DSM-IV

Asperger's Disorder

A. Qualitative impairment in social interaction,
as manifested by at least two of the following:

1. marked impairment in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors such as eye-to-eye
gaze, facial expression, body postures, and gestures to regulate social interaction

2. failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental level

3. a lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interests, or
achievements with other people (e.g., by a lack of showing,
bringing, or pointing out objects of interest to other people)

4. lack of social or emotional reciprocity

B. Restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior,
interests, and activities, as manifested by at least one of the following:

1. encompassing preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and restricted
patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity or focus

2. apparently inflexible adherence to specific, non-functional routines or rituals

3. stereotyped and repetitive motor mannerisms (e.g., hand or finger flapping
or twisting,or complex whole-body movements)

4. persistent preoccupation with parts of objects.

C. The disturbance causes clinically significant impairment on
social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

D. There is no clinically significant general delay in language
(e.g., single words used by age 2 years, communicative phrases
used by age 3 years)

E. There is no clinically significant delay in cognitive development
or in the development of age-appropriate self-help skills,
adaptive behavior (other than in social interaction),
and curiosity about the environment in childhood.

F. Criteria are not met for another specific
Pervasive Developmental Disorder or Schizophrenia.

Understanding the Student with Asperger's Syndrome
Asperger's Syndrome

This is from an article in the journal “Focus on Autistic Behavior”.
Volume 10, Number 2 June 1995.
University of Michigan Medical Center Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Hospital.

Seven characteristics of AS

“Insistence on sameness” - Children with AS are easily overwhelmed by minimal change, are highly sensitive to environmental stressors, and sometimes engage in rituals. They are anxious and tend to worry obsessively when they do not know what to expect; stress, fatigue, and sensory overload easily throw them off balance.

“Impairment in social interaction” - Children with AS show an inability to understand complex rules of social interaction; are naive; are extremely egocentric; may not like physical contact; talk at people instead of to them; do not understand jokes, irony, or metaphors; use monotone or stilted, unnatural tone of voice; use inappropriate gaze and body language; are insensitive and lack tact; misinterpret social cues; cannot judge “social distance”; exhibit poor ability to initiate and sustain conversation; have well-developed speech but poor communication; are sometimes labeled “little professor” because speaking style is so adult-like and pedantic; are easily taken advantage of (do not perceive that others sometimes lie or trick them); and usually have a desire to be part of the social world.

“Restricted range of interests” - Children with AS have eccentric preoccupations or odd, intense fixations (sometimes obsessively collecting unusual things). They tend to relentlessly “lecture” on areas of interest; ask repetitive questions about interests; have trouble letting go of ideas; follow own inclinations regardless of external demands; and sometimes refuse to learn about anything outside their limited field of interest.

“Poor concentration” - Children with AS are often off task, distracted by internal stimuli; are very disorganized; have difficulty sustaining focus on classroom activities (often it is not that the attention is poor but, rather, that the focus is “odd”; the individual with AS cannot figure out what is relevant [Happe, 1991], so attention is focused on irrelevant stimuli); tend to withdraw into complex inner worlds in a manner much more intense than is typical of daydreaming; and have difficulty learning in a group situation.

“Poor motor coordination” - Children with AS are physically clumsy and awkward; have stiff, awkward gaits; are unsuccessful in games involving motor skills; and experience fine-motor deficits that can cause penmanship problems, slow clerical speed, and affect their ability to draw.

“Academic difficulties” - Children with AS usually have average to above-average intelligence (especially in the verbal sphere) but lack higher level thinking and comprehension skills. They tend to be very literal: Their images are concrete, and abstraction is poor. Their pedantic speaking style and impressive vocabularies give the false impression that they understand what they are talking about, when in reality they are merely parroting what they have heard or read. The child with AS frequently has an excellent rote memory, but it is mechanical in nature; that is, the child may respond like a video that plays in set sequence. Problem-solving skills are poor.

“Emotional Vulnerability” - Children with Asperger's Syndrome have the intelligence to compete in regular education but they often do not have the emotional resources to cope with the demands of the classroom. These children are easily stressed due to their inflexibility. Self-esteem is low, and they are often very self-critical and unable to tolerate making mistakes. Individuals with AS, especially adolescents, may be prone to depression (a high percentage of depression in adults with AS has been documented). Rage reactions/temper outbursts are common in response to stress/frustration. Children with AS rarely seem relaxed and are easily overwhelmed when things are not as their rigid views dictate they should be. Interacting with people and coping with the ordinary demands of everyday life take continual Herculean effort.

ASPERGERS SYNDROME/AUTISM

http://www.asperger.org
Support for individuals affected with various neurological disorders.

http://www.udel.edu/bkirby/asperger/index.html
One of my favorite sites! A MUST see! Great site on Asperger's/Autism. Lots of other great information too.

http://www.amicusforchildren.org/
A site done by two moms – one an educator and the other an attorney.

http://www.rmplc.co.uk/eduweb/sites/autism/autism7.html
Society For The Autistically Handicapped.

http://info.med.yale.edu/chldstdy/autism/index.html
Yale Child Study Center

http://www.autism-society.org/asa_home.html
The Autism Society of America

http://www.judevine.com/
Judevine Center for Autism in St. Louis

http://www.teach.virginia.edu/go/cise/ose/categories/aut.html
Center for the Study of Autism & related disorders.
Also has an order form in the PDD link for information packets.

http://www.teach.virginia.edu/go/cise/ose/categories/aut.html
Many resources about autism available on the web.

http://www.ninds.nih.gov/HEALINFO/DISORDER/asperger/asperger.htm
National Institutes of Health.
Has a description, prognosis, references and organizations pertaining to Asperger's etc.

http://www.autism.com/ari/
The Autism Research Institute (ARI) Nonprofit organization that will send out information.
Has a newsletter you can subscribe to.

PERVASIVE DEVELOPMENT DISORDER

http://info.med.yale.edu/chldstdy/autism/page10.html
PDD Information Pages - Asperger's Syndrome

PUBLICATIONS

http://info.med.yale.edu/chldstdy/autism/page23.html
Publications for Professionals on Autism & PDD

PERSONAL ACCOUNTS

http://www.vicnet.net.au/vicnet/community/asperger.htm
A group of parents, families and friends of people diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome.
Autistic Family Support Assoc.

http://www.wpi.edu/~trek/aspergers.html
A site done by a child about his brother with Asperger's.

http://www3.sympatico.ca/anne.maclellan/page10.html
Autism and PDD information for parents from a Mom.

SEARCH ENGINE RESULTS

http://www.familyvillage.wisc.edu/lib_aspe.htm
Many links to Asperger's and descriptions.

http://www.yahoo.com/Health/Diseases_and_Conditions/Asperger_s_Syndrome/
Yahoo’s page showing Asperger’s "hits"

http://homepages.iol.ie/~wise/autinet/searches.htm
A site to search for information through different search engines.

BOOKS OF INTEREST

Asperger's Syndrome: A Guide for Parents and Professionals
by: Tony Atwood (EXCELLENT BOOK in my own opinion)

Autism and Asperger Syndrome
by: Uta Frith

A Parents Guide to Autism : Answers to the most common questions.
by: Charles A. Hart

The World of the Autistic Child:
Understanding and treating Autistic Spectrum Disorders
by: Bryna Siegel Thinking in Pictures and Other Reports from My Life with Autism
by: Temple Grandin.

Siblings of Children with Autism: A Guide for Families
by: Sandra L. Harris.

Autism: Preparing for Adulthood
by: Patricia Howlin

Children with Autism: A Parent's Guide
by: Michael Powers.

Behavioral Intervention for Young Children with Autism
by: Catherine Maurice.

Gibbyggg@aol.com

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