A syndrome for success

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A syndrome for success

June 9, 2005 - 4:11PM

Key points

ARE YOU AN ASPIE?

Most people with Asperger's will answer yes to all of these

questions:

I find social situations confusing

I find it hard to make small talk

I tend to turn any conversation back onto myself or my own interests

I excel at picking up details and facts

I find it hard to work out what other people are thinking and feeling

I can focus on certain things for very long periods

People often say I was rude, even when this was unintentional

I have very strong, narrow interests

I do certain things in a very inflexible, repetitive way

I have always had. difficulty making friends

Source: Cambridge Lifespan Asperger's Syndrome Service, Britain

Asperger's makes people see the world in a different way, which is

no bad thing, writes Fran Molloy.

People with Asperger's Syndrome - a developmental disorder on the

autistic spectrum - may seem socially odd and they may have

difficult relationships with their partners, children and parents,

but they're in good company.

Director Spielberg has been diagnosed with AS. Einstein

probably had it. Researchers speculate that Mozart, Michelangelo and

Andy Warhol may have had Asperger's traits. Bill Gates also seems to

have some AS traits.

" Most of the major advances in science and art have been made by

people with Asperger's, from Mozart to Einstein, " says Dr Tony

Attwood, a Brisbane-based world authority on the disorder. He

describes AS as a different way of thinking.

Characteristics of Asperger's can include an exceptionally good

memory, a very literal and blunt communication style, difficulty in

understanding non-verbal cues, narrow special interests which can

become obsessive and strong adherence to routines and order.

Those with AS often don't experience some of the classic symptoms of

autism - such as learning difficulties and language delays - but do

have difficulty with social skills and communication. Clumsiness is

another common trait.

The disorder was named in 1981 after the Austrian pediatrician Hans

Asperger, who in 1944 wrote about a pattern of behaviour and

abilities in four boys. These included " a lack of empathy, little

ability to form friendships, one-sided conversation, intense

absorption in a special interest and clumsy movements " .

Asperger nicknamed these children " little professors " because they

would talk about a favourite subject in great detail.

However, although Asperger's work was published in 1944, it wasn't

translated into English until 1991. And only in 1994 was AS

categorised as a disorder.

Autism Spectrum Australia (ASPECT) estimates that about 1 in 154

Australians has some degree of autism, including AS.

As the condition has become better known, more cases are

identified. " There has been a marked increase in diagnosis in the

last five years, " says Warren, director of Outreach Programs

at ASPECT. " It's quite a serious disorder and has a huge impact on

people's lives. "

Attwood believes Asperger's has always been around. " Now we've got a

name to describe the pattern of abilities. "

Judy Singer is the co-ordinator of ASPAR, a support group for the

adult children of a parent with Asperger's Syndrome. Singer's mother

has AS - something Singer only realised when her own daughter was

diagnosed.

" Medical classification systems have finally caught up with

something that every six-year-old schoolyard bully has been able to

diagnose at sight since time immemorial, " Singer writes on her

website, describing Asperger's as the " nerd's disorder " . Asperger's

support groups and rights groups abound on the internet, where

some " Aspies " (as they're fondly known) decry the persecution they

have suffered at the hands of non-autistic people, whom they

call " neurotypicals " or " NTs " .

Males are diagnosed autistic about three times more often than

females.

Simon Baron-Cohen, professor of developmental psychopathology

at Cambridge University, describes autism as an extreme version of

the male brain. He says there are innate differences in the wiring

of male and female brains - the male brain understands and builds

systems, while females are wired for empathy.

Leigh Michel, an AS-diagnosed support worker with peer support group

AUT-Support, agrees with Baron-Cohen's assessment. " The complaints I

have about neurotypical people probably sound like those stereotyped

complaints you hear men make about women - they are unpredictable,

they are fickle and they are emotional! "

SCHOOLYARD TRAUMA

Many people with Asperger's say they feel like they are aliens - and

they are often treated that way in the schoolyard. Many people with

AS find school a nightmare.

" We moved a lot when I was a kid, because my dad was a bank

manager, " says Di Sessa, an AS-diagnosed man living in

Innisfail, Queensland. " I was thrown into the deep end, not knowing

what I had. School was very hard, I was always picked on. Always. "

Norris (see box), recently diagnosed, had similar

experiences. " At school, there was a pecking order - the school

bully was at the top, and I was always at the bottom, " he says.

Increased awareness by early childhood specialists, teachers and

child psychologists has led to the identification of many more

children with Asperger's. Early intervention can give them

strategies to learn the confusing rules of the world they inhabit.

Leigh Michel says children with severe autism can also improve along

the autism spectrum as they grow up and by their early 20s - when

their brains are fully developed - many would fit the category of

Asperger's.

Researchers debate the difference between what is referred to as

high-functioning autism and Asperger's syndrome.

" Most of the diagnoses made today are children. But these children

grow up to be adults, and there are literally thousands of adults

out there struggling who have no idea that they have a reason for

this, " Attwood says.

Many people with AS get married, have children, get jobs and often

go through their lives without a clue that there is a reason behind

the stress they endure in everyday life.

GETTING THE DIAGNOSIS

" Diagnosis will make a huge difference to an adult with AS. When I

speak with people who have just been diagnosed, I say - 'This is new

information, is this helpful to you?' And they almost invariably say

that it is enormously helpful, " Attwood says.

The main difference diagnosis makes for those with AS is that people

close to them will now understand the challenges that they face, he

says.

For Leigh Michel, diagnosis of AS gave her the chance to make sense

of her past. " Finally, I had an explanation for why other people

behaved the way they did, " she says. " I had above-average

intelligence and I just could not make sense of my alienated

situation until I knew that I had AS. "

Di Sessa, diagnosed at 23, says the discovery had a big

impact. " Growing up was difficult, absolutely. The diagnosis

explained a lot. I understood why I like the sort of things that I

like. "

Leigh Michel says misunderstandings cause difficulties in the

relationship between people with AS and their families and

partners. " People with AS think differently, " she says. " It's

actually a cultural difference. "

While Michel agrees diagnosis is usually very helpful, she cautions

that it might lead to pathologising the AS person and absolve their

non-autistic partners or families of responsibility for finding

common ground in the relationship.

FAMILY MATTERS

Carol Grigg is the founder of a support group called GRASP- for the

partners of people with AS.

" The people who come to this group are often in a terrible state, at

desperation point, " she says. " Less than half in the group have a

diagnosed partner, because often the person with AS is so resistant

to any suggestion that there is a problem with them. "

Grigg says the group meets to support each other and to learn

strategies to cope with having a relationship with an AS person. She

believes it can help to keep marriages together.

Judy Singer describes her own childhood as " hellish " , remembering

her mother as an embarrassing oddball who seemed incredibly selfish.

Her mother was prone to detailed monologues about her special

interests, without realising no one was interested. Other traits

included obsessive hoarding of old magazines and bus tickets.

" Realising that she had AS - even though she has never been

diagnosed - has completely changed the way I feel about my mother, "

Singer says. " Now I realise how difficult life was for her, I

actually have a lot of admiration for her. And finally, we have a

warm relationship. "