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Cognitive and social skills, which shape personality
and character,
develop throughout life. However, genetic or environmental obstacles
can
obstruct development, especially early in life. One such obstacle is
Asperger’s Syndrome.
Asperger’s Syndrome (or AS) is a congenital neurobiological
condition
that affects 0.25% of the population. AS is linked to autism
spectrum
disorder, and includes autistic-like behavior and marked deficiencies
in
social and communication skills. AS individuals are of average
to above
average intelligence, some with unusual gifts and creativity.
As a
diagnosis, it has been known in Europe since the 1940’s, but has only
been
included in our medical diagnostic manuals since 1994. Thus many
adults and
children remain undiagnosed. Consequently AS is relatively unknown
and not
clearly understood, even among professionals.
AS is indeed a puzzle, and researchers are working
to identify the pieces
and form them into a meaningful picture. My experiences as an adult
recently
diagnosed with Asperger’s, together with my studies in child development,
suggest that individuals with AS are like young children—stuck in time,
so to
speak, never able to advance beyond early stages in social, cognitive
and
language development.
For example, most AS difficulties center around social
competencies. A
salient characteristic of young children is egocentrism—the inability
to
recognize that other people think and feel differently than oneself.
Persons
with Asperger’s Syndrome remain in this egocentric state, unable to
interpret
the thoughts and emotions of others, or to experience empathy.
Another name
given to this condition is "mind blindness"—the incapacity to visualize
the
mind states of others. Thus it is hard for AS individuals to
develop normal
friendships, as either children or adults. Without empathy, they become
emotionally stunted. A related problem is the inability to carry
out social
referencing through understanding nonverbal cues, such as facial expressions
or body language. Such cues are "invisible" to those with AS.
A piece of the AS puzzle related to cognitive skills
is attentiveness.
"Attention span" is the number of mental elements that one can remember
at
any given time. During preschool years children exhibit "centration,"
focusing on one piece of information at a time, and briefly at that.
The
ability to process several elements simultaneously, or to remain focused
on a
task, comes with greater cognitive sophistication. Unfortunately,
the
tendency towards centration seems to remain with the AS individual
into
adulthood. One diagnosis commonly given prior to accurate diagnosis
with
Asperger’s Syndrome is "attention deficit disorder."
A third part of the Asperger’s puzzle relates to
language. An early
stage of language development includes "telegraphic speech"— abbreviated
speech in which words not essential to the meaning of a sentence are
omitted.
People with AS seem not to develop beyond this stage, further stunting
their
communication skills. The easy flow of spontaneous social conversation
is
usually beyond their capacities. They must learn social "scripts"
through
special training and repetition. Even then, AS speech tends to
be stilted
and formal. Also, children in early stages of language development
are quite
literal. Figurative use of language, symbolic representation,
nuances and
double meanings are a later development. Once again, the individual
with
Asperger’s remains in a childhood realm—that of literalism. Linguistic
sophistications such as jokes, puns and idioms are hard for AS individuals
to
grasp. Even the most basic of social interactions become a confusing
and
humiliating experience.
Understandably, AS individuals encounter enormous
difficulties during the
transition into adolescence, and later into adult life, since they
have not
completed the requisite developmental tasks or moved beyond early stages
in
language, cognitive and social skills. They frequently remain
emotionally
dependent upon parents or family members, and suffer from separation
anxiety
and insecurity when trying to live on their own. Friendships
with peers,
romantic relationships, marriage and parenting, and entry into the
work world
are usually beyond their capacity. They remain, in many debilitating
ways,
stuck in time, trapped in the AS puzzle. They are, in essence,
childlike
beings attempting to live in an adult world, but without the support
and
understanding that children are afforded.
References
Asperger Syndrome: Through the Life Span. University
of Delaware. 11 July
1996
<http://www.udel.edu/bkirby/asperger/as_thru_years.html>
Asperger's Syndrome- Information Package. Autism
Society of America. 23
April 1997 <http://www.autism-society.org/packages/aspergers.html>
Asperger's Syndrome and Making Sense. Cross, Hubert.
11 January 1999.
<http://www.accesscom.com/~hcross/mindblind.htm>
Christopher Marsh: Asperger's Syndrome and me.
12 January 1999
<http://www.angelfire.com/md/chrismarsh/asper.html>
O' Neil, John. "A Syndrome With a Mix of Skills and
Deficits." The New
York Times. 6 April 1999: D1, D4.
Sroufe, L. Alan, Cooper, Robert G., and Ganie B.
DeHart. CHILD
DEVELOPMENT- Its Nature and Course. (U.S.A.: McGraw-Hill, Inc. 1996)
6-7, 95,
188, 254, 268, 330, 359- 360, 369, 606.
Yale Asper Syndrome Assessment and Diagnosis Guidelines.
Yale University.
23 April 1997 <http://info.med.yale.edu/chldstdy/autism/asperger-dx.html>
Michael McCroskery
September, 1999
E-Mail the author at: MRPolisci@aol.com