I have gathered some online material for you, with a focus on articles
that touch on the aspect of Asperger Syndrome that you have mentioned:
the tendency to be inflexible regarding change.
Please keep in mind that Google Answers is not a source of
authoritative medical advice; the material posted below is for
informational use, and should not be regarded as a diagnosis nor as a
substitute for the services of a qualified medical professional.
"Asperger Syndrome is a developmental disorder falling within the
autistic spectrum affecting two-way social interaction, verbal and
non-verbal communication and a reluctance to accept change,
inflexibility of thought and to have all absorbing narrow areas of
interest.
Individuals are usually extremely good on rote memory skills (facts,
figures, dates, times etc.) Many excel in maths and science. There is
a range of severity of symptoms within the syndrome, the very mildly
affected child often goes undiagnosed and may just appear odd or
eccentric...
The main areas affected by Asperger Syndrome are:
Social interaction
Communication
Narrow interests / preoccupations
Repetitive routines / rituals, inflexibility"
Asperger Syndrome Education Network: Asperger Syndrome
http://www.aspennj.org/lord.html
"The following is from Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders: DSM IV - Asperger?s
(I) Qualitative impairment in social interaction, as manifested by at
least two of the following:
(A) marked impairments in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors such
as eye-to-eye gaze, facial expression, body posture, and gestures to
regulate social interaction
(B) failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental level
(C) a lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interest or
achievements with other people, (e.g.. by a lack of showing, bringing,
or pointing out objects of interest to other people)
(D) lack of social or emotional reciprocity
(II) Restricted repetitive & stereotyped patterns of behavior,
interests and activities, as manifested by at least one of the
following:
(A) encompassing preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and
restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity
or focus
(B) apparently inflexible adherence to specific, nonfunctional routines or rituals
(C) stereotyped and repetitive motor mannerisms (e.g. hand or finger
flapping or twisting, or complex whole-body movements)
(D) persistent preoccupation with parts of objects"
Empower Colorado: Autism Spectrum
http://www.empowercolorado.com/Autism_Spectrum.htm
"Symptoms may range from mild to severe.
Symptoms may include:
-Difficulty interacting with others
-Trouble making friends
-Poor understanding of other people's feelings
-Insensitivity to social cues and facial expressions
-Inappropriate social and emotional responses
-Preoccupation with one's own world
-Not sharing enjoyment, interests, or achievements with others
-Following repetitive routines
-Single mindedness
-Limited interests, usually one or two subjects
-Repeating words or phrases over and over
-Intent interest in a few topics
-Good rote memory without understanding the information
-Limited verbal skills or using words in odd ways
-Difficulty imagining things or thinking abstractly
-Taking things very literally
-Focusing on small details and having trouble seeing the bigger picture
-Ability to read without understanding the words
-Problems with nonverbal communication
-Poor eye contact
-Few facial expressions, except for anger or unhappiness
-Impaired body posturing or use of gestures
-Clumsy movements
-Hand flapping
-Poor coordination
-Inflexibility or trouble accepting change
-Difficulty accepting loss or criticism
-Desire to finish any tasks that are started
Diagnosis
There are no tests for Asperger syndrome."
Holy Cross Hospital: Asperger Syndrome
http://community.healthgate.com/GetContent.asp?siteid=holycross&docid=/dci/asperger
"Asperger Syndrome Symptoms
An individual?s symptoms can range from mild to severe. An individual
may have all or only some of the described characteristics, and they
may exhibit more problems in unstructured social settings or new
situations that involve social problem-solving skills...
Activities
- Intense interest in a particular, often very restricted, subject
that dominates the individual?s attention
- Inflexible adherence to routines; has repetitive routines or rituals
- Apprehensive about change, may have difficulty transitioning from
one activity to another"
eMedicine Health: Asperger Syndrome Symptoms
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/articles/54056-3.asp
"Asperger's Syndrome (AS) is one of the conditions found on the
autistic spectrum (also known as 'pervasive developmental disorders'
in some medical literature). As the name Asperger's Syndrome implies,
the condition involves a number of symptoms--not all of which are
present among all who have Asperger's Syndrome."
Autism and Asperger's Syndrome
http://www.aspergerssyndrome.org/
A diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome, like many other medical diagnoses,
is a judgment call involving the observation of several factors which,
when taken together, are thought to be indicative of a certain
condition. Since there is no ironclad "test" for Asperger Syndrome,
the subjective nature of such a judgment may mean that different
physicians may perceive the same patient in different ways, and the
diagnoses proposed by those physicians may differ.
I urge you to seek additional medical opinions on this. The view of
one physician is usually questionable, particularly when dealing with
a condition like Asperger's, which is diagnosed solely through
observation of behaviors, and is not provable by physical means such
as the presence or absence of a genetic marker. A test called the
Asperger Syndrome Diagnostic Scale (ASDS) can be helpful, but it is
primarily a research tool, and its effectiveness in diagnosis has yet
to be proven.
Symptoms that can indicate Asperger's are often quite subtle in those
who are only mildly affected. As you can see from the material posted
above, Asperger Syndrome can present many kinds of symptoms; few, if
any, patients display all these symptoms. It is quite possible that a
person might lack the apprehensiveness toward change, yet still fit
other behavioral criteria that would make a diagnosis of Asperger
Syndrome plausible. And, of course, some of these kinds of symptoms
can be present in people who do not have Asperger's at all. I have a
friend who was initially thought to have Asperger Syndrome; however,
she is currently being treated for OCD (obsessive-compulsive
disorder), and she's doing fine. Does this mean that the initial
diagnosis was wrong? Maybe. The best physicians know that the most
important thing is to help a person deal with whatever symptoms are
present, not to put a label on the patient.
Google Web Search: "asperger syndrome" symptoms
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22asperger+syndrome%22+symptoms
I hope this helps. If anything is unclear or incomplete, please
request clarification; I'll gladly offer further assistance before you
rate my answer.
Best regards,
pinkfreud |
