Aspergers syndrome
Aspergers syndrome
Signs, Symptoms, Effects, and Treatment
The exact cause of Aspergers is unknown. More than likely, an abnormality in the brain is the cause of Aspergers syndrome. There is a possible link to autism due to the similarities with social development, obsessions and peculiar body language. Genetic factors may play a role. The disorder is known to run in families, though a specific gene has not been identified. The condition appears to be more common in boys than in girls.
Though people with Aspergers syndrome often have difficulty socially, many have above-average intelligence. Due to such intelligent capabilities they may excel in fields such as computer programming and sciences as people with Aspergers show to be good at problem solving and retaining facts and figures.
People with Aspergers syndrome become over-focused or obsessed on a single object or topic, ignoring all others. They want to know everything about this topic, and often talk about little else. There is no delay in their cognitive development, ability to take care of themselves, or curiosity about their environment.
Symptoms
- Children with Asperger syndrome will present many facts about their subject of interest, but there will seem to be no point or conclusion.
- They often do not recognize that the other person has lost interest in the topic.
- Areas of interest may be quite narrow, such as an obsession with train schedules, phone books, a vacuum cleaner, or collections of objects.
- Their body language may be off.
- They may speak in a monotone, and may not respond to other people’s comments or emotions.
- They may not understand sarcasm or humour, or they may take a figure of speech literally.
- They do not recognize the need to change the volume of their voice in different settings.
- They have problems with eye contact, facial expressions, body postures, or gestures (nonverbal communication).
- They may be singled out by other children as “weird” or “strange.”
- Are unable to respond emotionally in normal social interactions
- Are not flexible about routines or rituals
- Have difficulty showing, bringing, or pointing out objects of interest to other people
- Do not express pleasure at other people’s happiness
- Delays in being able to ride a bicycle, catch a ball, or climb play equipment
- Clumsiness when walking or doing other activities
- Repetitive behaviours, in which they sometimes injure themselves
- Repetitive finger flapping, twisting, or whole body movements
Possible treatment and therapy
There is no single best treatment for all children or adults with Asperger syndrome. Programs for children with Asperger syndrome teach skills by building on a series of simple steps, using highly structured activities. Important tasks or points are repeated over time to help reinforce certain behaviours.
Types of programs may include:
CBT (Cognitive behavioural therapy) – Cognitive-behavioural therapy encourages you to identify and change the negative beliefs and behaviours that are causing problems in your life. Since many individuals with Aspergers are demoralised from years of struggle and unmet expectations, one of the main goals of cognitive-behavioural therapy is to transform this negative outlook into a more hopeful, realistic view. Cognitive-behavioural therapy also focuses on the practical issues that often come with Aspergers, such as disorganization, work performance problems, poor time management, social cues and communication.
Neurofeedback training – Neurofeedback training is a type of biofeedback that uses electroencephalography to provide a signal that can be used by a person to receive feedback about brain activity. In the case of someone with Aspergers brainwaves indicative of focus and attention can be filtered and used in a real time graph or at Games for Life we use this particular brain wave to move around and control animated characters in a computer game. Kind of like taking your brain to the gym you are exercising your attention by being made aware of it and how to control it
