Aspergers Syndrome Characteristic
Asperger’s syndrome is named for an Austrian psychiatrist, Hans Asperger. In the mid 1940s, Asperger published a series of papers that detailed the characteristics of a condition found primarily in boys. In 1980, his paper was translated into English, and he received international acclaim for his findings; this was the beginning of what is presently called Asperger’s syndrome. Recent research puts the rate of Asperger’s syndrome at 1 in 300, and the ratio of diagnosed boys to diagnosed girls at 10:1. Generally, the Asperger’s syndrome characteristic is considered to be a form of high-functioning autism.
The characteristics of Asperger’s syndrome have remained constant since Dr. Asperger published his study. In the early 1990s, the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders published a list of diagnostic criteria for Asperger’s syndrome.
1 Social interaction impairment
A Parent’s Introduction to Aspergers Syndrome
Aspergers Syndrome (AS) is in the category of developmental disorders of the Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) that is under the umbrella of Pervasive Developmental Disorders or PDD. It is different from Autism because there is not a specific delay of language or cognitive development, but does share the clumsiness (tripping, bumping, dropping things, etc.) aspects, although these are not particular to the diagnosis.
Why call it Aspergers?
It is named after Hans Asperger who, in 1944, described children in his pediatric practice who lacked nonverbal communication skills, were non-empathetic with their peers, and were physically clumsy. It is sometimes referred to as a high functioning autism.
What about Seizures?
Seizures have been an important part of my life since I was 3 ½ years old. At birth, it was believe that the forceps were responsible for lesions in the brain. At the tender age of three, I fell down the stairs, hitting the top of my head three times before my dad could catch me. This event was the major event that triggered it all. A week later, I was diagnosed with tonic clonic Epilepsy also known as “Grand Mal”.
Seizures and brain damage
My mother told me that my longest period of seizures lasted approximately 1 ½ hour. It is quite alarming as any neurologist will tell you that brain damage occurs following a period of seizures lasting 30 minutes or more.
