Aspergers Syndrome
Asperger’s Syndrome
In today’s society, Asperger’s Syndrome is being talked about, and seen, more than ever, from television shows, such as Parenthood, to magazine articles, and of course in the inclusive classroom. Throughout this paper we will be looking at where Asperger’s Syndrome originated, some of the characteristics and causes, as well as ways in which teachers and parents can better deal with a child that has Asperger’s Syndrome. Asperger’s Syndrome is found under Autistic Spectrum Disorders which has certain determined types of developmental delays such as social interaction, communication, and stereotypic behavior. Under ASD you will also find disorders such as Rett’s Disorder, Childhood Disintegration Disorder, and pervasive Developmental Disorder (L.J. Baker, L.A. Welkowitz, 2005). So what is Asperger’s Syndrome? To answer this question we must go back to Austria in the early 1940’s where Hans Asperger was studying small groups of children who exhibited similar patterns of behavior which he termed Autistic Psychopathy (www.asperger-syndrome.me.uk/history.html). He observed qualitative impairments such as “delays in using and understanding nonverbal behavior, problems establishing peer relationships and deficits in social reciprocity…preoccupation with one narrow special interest area or parts or objects, rigidity (sticking with one set, sometimes dysfunctional routine), or repetitive, stereotyped movements (J.S. Safron &S.P. Safron, 2001; S.P. Safron, 2001). Even though his work was published in the 40’s it did not come light in the United States until 1981 when psychiatrist Lorna Wing popularized the term Asperger’s Syndrome in a publication, which later led to the naming of the syndrome. Today, the DSM-IV-TR has added additional characteristics to determining Asperger’s such as, motor clumsiness, variability in cognitive functioning, over activity and inattention, plus secondary emotional problems, pragmatics or the social use of
In today’s society, Asperger’s Syndrome is being talked about, and seen, more than ever, from television shows, such as Parenthood, to magazine articles, and of course in the inclusive classroom. Throughout this paper we will be looking at where Asperger’s Syndrome originated, some of the characteristics and causes, as well as ways in which teachers and parents can better deal with a child that has Asperger’s Syndrome. Asperger’s Syndrome is found under Autistic Spectrum Disorders which has certain determined types of developmental delays such as social interaction, communication, and stereotypic behavior. Under ASD you will also find disorders such as Rett’s Disorder, Childhood Disintegration Disorder, and pervasive Developmental Disorder (L.J. Baker, L.A. Welkowitz, 2005). So what is Asperger’s Syndrome? To answer this question we must go back to Austria in the early 1940’s where Hans Asperger was studying small groups of children who exhibited similar patterns of behavior which he termed Autistic Psychopathy (www.asperger-syndrome.me.uk/history.html). He observed qualitative impairments such as “delays in using and understanding nonverbal behavior, problems establishing peer relationships and deficits in social reciprocity…preoccupation with one narrow special interest area or parts or objects, rigidity (sticking with one set, sometimes dysfunctional routine), or repetitive, stereotyped movements (J.S. Safron &S.P. Safron, 2001; S.P. Safron, 2001). Even though his work was published in the 40’s it did not come light in the United States until 1981 when psychiatrist Lorna Wing popularized the term Asperger’s Syndrome in a publication, which later led to the naming of the syndrome. Today, the DSM-IV-TR has added additional characteristics to determining Asperger’s such as, motor clumsiness, variability in cognitive functioning, over activity and inattention, plus secondary emotional problems, pragmatics or the social use of
Citations: Baker, L.J., Welkowitz, L.A., (2005). Asperger’s Syndrome Intervening in Schools, Clinics, and Communities. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., Publishers Coates, L Gould, K. (2011). Fantasy Play as the Conduit for Change in the Treatment of a Six-Year-Old Boy With Asperger’s Syndrome. Psychoanalytic Inquiry, 31(3), 240-251. Doi:10.1080/07351690.2010.513614 Healthwise, Incorporated, (2010)