Aspergers

Zayne Spadaro

What is it?
Considered a high functioning form of autism
It can lead to difficulty interacting socially, repeat
behaviors, and clumsiness

Statistics
It is estimated that around 700,000 people may have
aspergers, or more than 1 in 100 in the population

1 in 88 children are born with autism/ 32,250 people born

each year with aspergers

History
First described in the 1940s by Viennese pediatrician Hans
Asperger
Added to the American Psychiatric Aassociation Diagnostic
and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders in 1994

Symptoms
They do not express pleasure at others happiness
Unable to respond emotionally in normal social interactions

Children:

Delays in being able to ride a bicycle, catch

a ball, or climb play equipment

Tests
Most doctors look for a core group of behaviors that include:
Abnormal eye contact
Failure to turn when called by name
Failure to use gestures to point or show
Lack of interactive play

Treatment
Options include:
Talk therapy
Parent training
Physical or occupational therapy
Social skills training
Speech and language therapy
Medications: selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors,
antipsychotics, and stimulants

Citations
Board, A.D.A.M. Asperger Syndrome. U.S. National Library of
Medicine, 16 May 2012. Web. 11 Dec. 2014.
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002516/#a
dam_001549.disease.causes>.

"Asperger Syndrome Fact Sheet." : National Institute of

Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). Web. 11 Dec.
2014.
<http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/asperger/detail_asperger.
htm>.

"Asperger Syndrome." Autism Speaks. Web. 11 Dec. 2014.

<http://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism/aspergersyndrome>.