Asperger's
In 2018, a girl with Asperger's syndrome became world famous with the "Fridays for Future" movement: Greta Thunberg. In the media, it is hardly noticeable that she suffers from a neural development disorder. Only those who look closely can make out the somewhat disconcerting facial expressions. Greta received her diagnosis at the age of 12, when she suffered from depression and an eating disorder. As you'll learn in a moment, Greta's story, as well as her pronounced interest in a particular topic - in this case, climate change - is typical of Aspergers.
Asperger's is different
As borderline cases between "normal" people and those with an autistic disorder, people with Asperger's are difficult to recognize. While they exhibit certain idiosyncrasies, we tend to spontaneously classify them as bizarre traits. In fact, the line between what our society considers normal and what makes Asperger's autistic people different is blurred. As a result, in over half of cases, this disorder is not diagnosed until adulthood. However, being different pushes Asperger's patients into the role of outsider throughout their lives. But what exactly is different about them?
How rude!
You could say Asperger's is a kind of social illiteracy. Affected persons do not understand non-verbal signals such as facial expressions, gestures or tone of voice. They cannot understand the emotional state of their conversation partner. Empathic reactions are therefore impossible for them. For this reason, Asperger's autistic people appear rude to impertinent to those around them.
Building friendships or relationships is extremely difficult under these circumstances. A chance for better mutual understanding only comes with the correct diagnosis. It provides the affected person and their environment with urgently needed information. Some Asperger's patients then even manage to build up a social network, lead a steady partnership or start a family.
When details mean everything
When you meet a person with Asperger's, at some point you will notice some strange-seeming behavior. This can be seemingly senseless sequences of movements that are performed over and over again with persistent eagerness. For example, the person in question always puts on the right shoe first and then the left. If you stop this behavior pattern, a whole world falls apart for the Apserger autistic person. Other bizarre behavior patterns concern the intense preoccupation with the same objects over and over again, such as flowers, puzzles or model cars.
However, what is presented here as a conspicuous idiosyncrasy can also be an advantage for those affected. By fixating on details, Asperger patients notice small things that the average person does not notice. The pronounced interest in a matter can even manifest itself in a high level of specialized scientific competence. Individuals with Asperger's have a particularly keen sense of the natural sciences. Among international luminaries in computer science, mathematics, physics, and related sciences, Asperger's autistic individuals can be found time and again.
From the subtleties of language
A major difference between early childhood autism and Asperger's is in language abilities. While autistic children never learn to speak or learn to speak poorly, the language development of Asperger's autistic children is largely unremarkable. Affected children, however, can display a very adult, sometimes pedantic manner of expression. Their special way of intonation makes you sit up and take notice.
When it comes to their favorite topic, Asperger's autistic people like to talk without stopping. The torrent of speech can hardly be directed or interrupted. Signals from the interlocutor that he or she wants to switch to another topic are ignored by the Asperger's autistic person. Ambiguities, rhetorical questions, sarcasm and irony are completely incomprehensible to him because he takes everything literally. He therefore has to learn proverbs by heart like vocabulary.
Asperger's or no Asperger's?
While older diagnostic manuals still categorically distinguish different degrees of autism, newer editions only speak of "autism spectrum disorder". Within this spectrum, Asperger syndrome lies very close to the border of the "normal". Various autistic traits are also found in people who are considered mentally healthy. On the other hand, there are Asperger autistics who are hardly noticeable as such. They have created structures within which they can live well. Since they do not suffer from their being different, they never go to a psychologist.
So you will have a hard time distinguishing a person with egocentric behaviors from an Asperger's autistic. Children with Asperger's are also carelessly given the label "ADHD." In affected adults, symptoms of anxiety or obsessive-compulsive disorder may come to the fore.
Who is affected by Asperger's?
Perhaps you yourself know someone who suffers from one of the symptoms described above. However, as long as several of the above-mentioned peculiarities are not present at the same time and the person is restricted in his or her way of life as a result, there is nothing to suggest a neurological developmental disorder with disease value. Overall, Asperger's is very rarely diagnosed. Less than 0.3% of all children in Germany receive this diagnosis. In adults, the percentage rises to about 1%, with experts assuming that 40% of all those affected go undiagnosed. Men are affected about two to three times as often as women.
The therapy of Asperger's autistic
Although Asperger's is theoretically recognizable from about three years of age, it is rarely noticed before school enrollment and often not until adulthood. However, even then there is no cure in the true sense of the word. However, the diagnosis alone brings great relief to those affected, since their difference finally has a name.
Within the framework of therapy, everyday problems are dealt with first and foremost. For example, Asperger's autistic people learn to associate faces and sounds with certain emotions. If there is no functioning daily structure, this is planned and rehearsed during therapy. Asperger's autistics do best with consistent routines in a consistent environment. In difficult cases, concomitant mental illnesses such as depression or obsessive-compulsive disorder must also be treated.
The neural developmental disorder Asperger's does not per se mean suffering for the affected person. They can be quite content with themselves. They feel comfortable in their self-determined everyday life with fixed structures and rituals. It is rather the contact with other people that causes problems. This often becomes apparent in childhood, as children affected by Asperger's tend to withdraw and are reluctant to cuddle. Later, it is the nonverbal subtleties that cause them problems. Their lack of empathy quickly turns them into misfits. </p>
In today's world, however, Asperger's is increasingly socially acceptable. The increasing isolation of people from each other suits them. In addition, today's digital communication options are more in line with their nature than face-to-face conversation. </p>
Unlike infantile autism, for which there are first signs shortly after birth, Asperger's cannot be diagnosed before the age of three. Since language development is undetectable, there are no clues in this area. The abnormalities are subtle and widespread. For example, children with Asperger's show less interest in social interaction, like to occupy themselves alone with their toys, and have less pronounced facial expressions than their peers. Some are somewhat slower in their motor development and are conspicuous for clumsiness. Children, like adults, also tend to talk to themselves. Because they do not necessarily suffer from their problems, more than half of the cases are diagnosed in adulthood. Even then, the motivation for starting therapy tends to be another mental illness such as depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or anxiety disorder. </p>
In the context of Asperger's syndrome, you repeatedly come across the term „neurotypical“. But who or what is meant by this? The term itself is a neologism. It was invented to refer to people whose neuronal development is within the norm. Thus, neurotypicals do not exhibit abnormalities in the areas of language development, intelligence, or other cognitive abilities. Asperger's autistics like to use the term to refer to the group of people to which they do not feel they belong. They themselves are the opposite of neurotypical: they are neurodivergent because their neurological development differs from the general average. </p>
To date, the exact causes of Asperger's are unknown. However, experts assume a primarily genetic predisposition. However, this is widely scattered across the genome and can take on very different forms. The enormous range of variants within the autistic spectrum probably arises from this diversity of the genetic „defect“. What is certain is that the brain activities of Asperger's and other autistic individuals have been shown to deviate from the norm. </p>
The basic prerequisite for hitting on someone is to be able to understand their thoughts. For example, to tell a lie to someone you know, you have to be sure that they don't already know the truth. You also have to invent an alternative truth that makes sense to your friend. Otherwise, he will not believe your story. Usually, lying also has a purpose: Someone must not know the truth, because otherwise he would show an unwelcome reaction, for example, he would get upset. An Asperger's autistic person, however, cannot comprehend the world of thoughts of his fellow human beings. He cannot explain to himself what his counterpart knows or how he will react to a certain piece of information. Therefore, he finds it äußerent difficult to intentionally incriminate someone. </p>
Conclusion
At first glance, Asperger's autistics seem like normal people with bizarre idiosyncrasies. On closer inspection, it is noticeable that social skills are clearly underdeveloped. Things like empathy or the understanding of non-verbal signals are completely missing. They are also meticulously preoccupied with objects or topics of their own choosing. They can excel in their area of interest. Their linguistic skills are average. However, the principle of irony or rhetorical questions is foreign to them. Since Asperger's is much less noticeable than early childhood autism, those affected often come to see a psychotherapist because of other psychological problems. In children, this may be suspected ADHD, in adults depression or obsessive-compulsive disorder. About 40% of those affected live an unremarkable life without ever being diagnosed. In total, probably only 1% of Germans are affected by Asperger's. In therapy, they can learn to compensate for their social deficits and to accommodate their preference for clear structures in everyday life.
