A4Autism.info

What is Asperger’s Disorder?

Asperger's Disorder is a milder form of Autism. Both Asperger's Disorder and Autism are in fact subgroups of a larger diagnostic category. This larger category is called either Autistic Spectrum Disorders, or Pervasive Developmental Disorders ("PDD"). In Asperger's, affected individuals are characterized by social isolation and odd behavior in childhood. There are impairments in two-sided social interaction and non-verbal communication. Though grammatical, their speech may sound peculiar due to abnormalities of inflection and a repetitive pattern. Clumsiness may be prominent both in their articulation and gross motor behavior. They usually have a particular area of interest which usually leaves no space for more age appropriate, common interests. Some examples are cars, trains (anything with wheels), particular movies, etc. The name "Asperger" comes from Hans Asperger, an Austrian physician who first described the syndrome in 1944.