NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Aspergers syndrome

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Asperger described his patients as "little professors".

Asperger's syndrome (AS), is a The diagnostic category pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) refers to a group of disorders characterized by delays in the development of multiple basic functions including socialization and communication. Parents may note symptoms as early as infancy and typically onset is prior to 3 years of age. PDD is not fatal and... pervasive developmental disorder commonly referred to as a form of "high-functioning" A boy with autism and his mother Autism refers to a spectrum of disorders, and lies somewhere under the umbrella of a greater encompassing spectrum, that of pervasive developmental disorders that involve the functioning of the brain. Autism as a term is most commonly used to refer to classical autism... autism. The term "Asperger's syndrome" was coined by Dr Lorna Wing, MD FRCPsych, qualified in medicine in 1952 and then trained in psychiatry. As a result of having an autistic daughter she became involved in researching developmental disorders, particularly autistic spectrum disorders. She joined with other parents of autistic children to found the National Autistic Society (http... Lorna Wing in a 1981 is a common year starting on Thursday. Years: 1978 1979 1980 - 1981 - 1982 1983 1984 Decades: 1950s 1960s 1970s - 1980s - 1990s 2000s 2010s Centuries: 19th century - 20th century - 21st century 1981 in topic: Arts Architecture - Art - Film - Literature - Music Science and technology Aviation - Rail transport - Science - Television Other topics... 1981 medical paper; she named it after Hans Asperger (February 18, 1906-October 21, 1980) was the Austrian pediatrician after whom Aspergers Syndrome is named. Born in Vienna, Asperger published the first definition of Aspergers Syndrome in 1944. In four boys, he identified a pattern of behavior and abilities that he called autistic psychopathy, meaning... Hans Asperger, an The Republic of Austria (German Republik Österreich) is a landlocked country in Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Hungary to the east, Italy to the south, and Liechtenstein to the west. The state is a representative democracy governed in accordance with principles of Parliamentarism. Republik Österreich (In Detail... Austrian Psychiatry is a branch of medicine that studies and treats mental and emotional disorders (see mental illness). The term alienist is an old term for a psychiatrist, and the term shrink (from head shrinker) is a (sometimes offensive) slang term for a psychotherapist. Note that psychiatry is practiced by psychiatrists... psychiatrist and Pediatrics (also spelled paediatrics or pædiatrics) is the branch of medicine that deals with the medical care of infants and children. Most pediatricians are members of a national body, such as the Canadian Paediatric Society, the British Association of Paediatric Surgeons or the American Academy of Pediatrics. One of... pediatrician whose work was not internationally recognized until the Centuries: 19th century - 20th century - 21st century Decades: 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s - 1990s - 2000s 2010s 2020s 2030s 2040s Years: 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 Contents // 1 Events and trends 1.1 Computers, technology 1.2 Science 1.3 War, peace and politics 1.4... 1990s.

Characteristics

Like other conditions currently classified as an A boy with autism and his mother Autism refers to a spectrum of disorders, and lies somewhere under the umbrella of a greater encompassing spectrum, that of pervasive developmental disorders that involve the functioning of the brain. Autism as a term is most commonly used to refer to classical autism... autism spectrum disorder, Asperger's Syndrome is strongly sex-linked, with males currently comprising approximately 75 percent of diagnoses. However, this figure may not be completely accurate, as girls are arguably more exposed to social situations and thus have more of a chance to learn to imitate the non-autistics and behave "normally".

Non-autistics — called Neurotypical is a term coined by Judy Singer and later used by some autistic spectrum individuals and those who study them, which refers to people whose neurological development and state conforms to what most people would perceive as normal. The use of the word typical in place of normal hints... neurotypicals, or NTs, by people on the autistic spectrum who reject the word "normal" — possess a comparatively sophisticated sense of other people's mental states. Most people are able to gather a whole host of information about other people's Psychology Areas Cognition Development Disorder Emotion Perception Personality Self Social Approaches Behavioral Biological Cognitive Evolutionary Humanistic Psychodynamic The term cognition is used in several different loosely related ways. In psychology it is used to refer to the mental processes of an individual, with particular relation to a view that argues... cognitive and Psychology Areas Cognition Development Disorder Emotion Perception Personality Self Social Approaches Behavioral Biological Cognitive Evolutionary Humanistic Psychodynamic In psychology and common terminology, emotion is the language of a persons internal state of being, normally based in or tied to their internal (physical) and external (social) sensory feeling. Love, hate... emotional states based on clues gleaned from the environment and the other person's Body Language has multiple meanings: body language is a form of communication Body Language was a 1970 book by Julius Fast on body language Body Language was a 1982 single by rock band Queen Body Language was a 1984 - 1986 CBS television game show Body Language was an album by... body language. Persons with autism are relatively deficient in this ability, and the individual with Asperger's can be every bit as "mind-blind" as the person with profound classical autism. For those who are severely affected by "mind-blindness", they may, at best, see a smile but not know what it means (is it an understanding, a condescending, or a malicious smile?) and at worst they will not even see the smile, frown, smirk, or any other nuance of Interpersonal communication refers to communication with another person. This kind of communication is subdivided into dyadic communication, public communication, and small-group communication. The Johari window model focuses on the balance of interpersonal communication. Interpersonal communication encompasses: Speech Nonverbal communication Unconscious communication summarizing paraphrasing Having good interpersonal communication skills support... interpersonal communication. They generally find it difficult or impossible to "read between the lines"; that is, figure out those things a person is implying but is not saying directly. It is worth noting, however, that since it is a spectrum disorder, a few with Asperger's are nearly normal in their ability to read facial expressions and intentions of others. Those with Asperger's often have difficulty with Eye contact is an intense nonverbal, visual connection made as one person gazes into the eyes of another. It is a highly emotional link established as two people simultaneously observe each others eyes. Gazing at anothers eyes arouses strong emotions. Thus, eye contact rarely lasts longer than three... eye contact. Many make very little eye contact, finding it overwhelming, while others have unmodulated, staring eye contact that can be off-putting to others.

Asperger's syndrome can involve an intense and obsessive level of focus on things of interest and is often characterized by special (and possibly peculiar) gifts; one person might be obsessed with 1950s professional wrestling, another with national anthems of African dictatorships, another with building models out of matchsticks. Particularly common interests are means of For other article subjects named transport see transport (disambiguation). This article is part of the Transport series Modes... Animal-powered Aviation Human-powered Ship Rail Road See also... More topics | The future Transport, or transportation in American English, is the movement of objects like people, goods, signals and information from... transport (for example trains), The tower of a personal computer. A computer is a device or machine for making calculations or controlling operations that are expressible in numerical or logical terms. Computers are constructed from components that perform simple well-defined functions. The complex interactions of these components endow computers with the ability to... computers, and For other uses, see Dinosaur (disambiguation). Dinosaur Conservation status: Fossil Replica of a T. Rex skull at the Field Museum of Natural History Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Archosauria Superorder: Dinosauria Owen, 1842 Orders Saurischia Sauropodomorpha Theropoda Ornithischia Dinosaurs are giant reptiles... dinosaurs. These interests are often coupled with an unusually high capacity to retain and recall encyclopedic amounts of information about the favored subject.

In general, orderly things have appeal to individuals with Asperger's. When these special interests coincide with a materially or socially useful task, the individual with Asperger's can often lead a profitable life. The child obsessed with naval architecture may grow up to be an accomplished Shipbuilding is the construction of ships. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, originally called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that can trace its roots to before recorded history. The construction of boats is a similar activity called boat building. See Naval architecture. History... shipwright, for instance. In pursuit of these interests, the individual with Asperger's often manifests extremely sophisticated Alternate uses: Reason (program), Reason (magazine), Reason (Asimov) In philosophy, reason (from Latin ratio, by way of French raison) is the faculty by means of which or the process through which human beings perform thought, especially abstract thought. Many thinkers have pondered reason, and the various views on the nature... reason, an almost obsessive focus, and Photographic memory or eidetic memory is the ability to recall images, sounds, or objects in memory with great accuracy and in seemingly unlimited volume. For instance, many famous artists and composers like Claude Monet and Mozart possibly had eidetic memory. However, Dr. Marvin Minsky in his book The Society of... eidetic memory. Hans Asperger (February 18, 1906-October 21, 1980) was the Austrian pediatrician after whom Aspergers Syndrome is named. Born in Vienna, Asperger published the first definition of Aspergers Syndrome in 1944. In four boys, he identified a pattern of behavior and abilities that he called autistic psychopathy, meaning... Hans Asperger called his young patients "little professors", based on the fact that his thirteen-year-old patients had as comprehensive and nuanced an understanding of their field of interest, as university professors. It is because of this that individuals with Asperger's are considered to have a higher intellectual capacity while suffering from a lower social capacity.

Individuals with Asperger's have emotional responses as strong as, or perhaps stronger than, most people, though what generates an emotional response might not always be the same. What they lack (or are markedly slower to develop) is the inborn ability to perceive the emotional states of others or to express their own emotional state via body language, facial expression and nuance in the way that most people do. Many people with Asperger's report a feeling of being unwillingly detached from the world around them; they lack the natural ability to see the subtexts of social interaction, and equally lack the ability to broadcast their own emotional state to the world accurately.

This leads to many troubles in childhood and adulthood. Asperger's children are often the target of bullying at school because of their idiosyncratic behaviour, language, and interests, and because of their lower or delayed ability to perceive and respond appropriately to non-verbal cues, particularly in situations of interpersonal conflict.

When a teacher asks a child with Asperger's, "Did the dog eat your homework?", the child with Asperger's will remain silent if they don't understand the expression, trying to figure out if they need to explain to the teacher that they don't have a dog and also that dogs don't generally like paper. The child doesn't understand what the teacher is asking, cannot deduce the teacher's meaning, or the fact that there is a non-literal meaning, from the tone of voice, posture or facial expression, and is faced with a question which makes as much sense to him as "Did the glacier in the library bounce today?". The teacher may walk away from the experience frustrated and thinking the child is arrogant, spiteful, and insubordinate. The child sits there mutely, feeling frustrated and wronged.

Those affected by Asperger's may also manifest a range of other sensory, developmental, and physiological anomalies. It is common for Asperger's children to evidence a marked delay in the development of fine motor skills. They may display a distinctive 'waddling' or 'mincing' gait when they walk and may walk with their arms held out in an unusual manner. Compulsive finger, hand, or arm movements, such as flapping, are also observed.

Some Asperger's children suffer from varying degrees of sensory overload, and may be pathologically sensitive to loud noises or strong smells and may dislike being touched — for example, certain Asperger's children exhibit a strong dislike of having their head touched or their hair disturbed. The "sensory overload" factor may exacerbate problems faced by Asperger's children at school, where levels of noise in the classroom can become almost intolerable for them.

Another noted behavioural characteristic that may be present is Echolalia is the repetition or echoing of verbal utterances made by another person. Up to 75% of autistics exhibit echolalia in some form, but it also affects the mentally retarded and schizophrenic to lesser degrees. It is also experienced by those with Tourette Syndrome. Contents // Categories: Medicine stubs ... echolalia, which causes the subject to repeat words, or parts of words, when they speak, like an echo. Children with Asperger's often display advanced abilities for their age in language, reading, mathematics, spatial skills, or music, sometimes into the 'gifted' range, although as noted above, they may be counterbalanced by appreciable delays in other developmental areas.

Social interaction and cognitive patterns

Asperger's can also lead to problems with normal social interaction between peers. In childhood and teenage years, this can cause severe problems as a child or teen with Asperger's can have difficulty interpreting subtle social cues, and as such be ostracized by their peers, leading to social cruelty. A child or teen with Asperger's is frequently puzzled as to the source of this cruelty, unaware of what has been done "wrong". Recent efforts in the field of This article needs cleanup. Please edit this article to conform to a higher standard of article quality. Special education (Also known as Special ed or SPED) refers to the teaching of students with learning disabilities. Services (such as speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, etc) are provided within... special education have concentrated on teaching children with Asperger's how to interact with their peers, achieving only moderate success, while the alternative of teaching their peers to cope with Asperger's children does not seem to have been seriously considered by many professionals. The social alienation of some people with Asperger's syndrome is so intense in childhood that some create An imaginary friend is a friend that is created in the minds of some small children. They may do this for companionship, as part of play, or other reasons. Imaginary friends are also a very important form of companionship for autistic individuals, especially amongst those who have Aspergers syndrome... imaginary friends for companionship.

Asperger's syndrome hardly guarantees a miserable life, however. Often the intense focus and tendency to work things out logically, characteristic of Asperger's, will grant them a high level of ability in their field of interest. Despite their difficulty with social interaction, many people with Asperger's possess a rare gift for humor (especially The factual accuracy of this article is disputed. Please see the relevant discussion on the talk page. A pun (also known as paronomasia) is a deliberate confusion of similar-sounding words or phrases for comic or serious effect. Humorous puns are more common today, but formerly the serious pun was... puns, Word play is a literary technique in which the nature of the words used themselves become part of the subject of the work. Puns, obscure words and meanings, clever rhetorical excursions, oddly formed sentences, and telling character names are common examples of word play. All writers engage in word play... wordplay, Doggerel describes verse considered of little literary value. The word is derogatory, from Middle English. Doggerel might have any or all of the following failings: trite, cliched, or overly sentimental forced or imprecise rhymes faulty metre misordering of words to force correct metre Almost by definition examples of doggerel are... doggerel, Satire is a literary technique of writing or art which principally ridicules its subject (individuals, organizations, states) often as an intended means of provoking or preventing change. In Celtic societies, it was thought a bards satire could have physical effects, similar to a curse. A satirist is one who... satire), and writing. In fact, sometimes their fluency with language is such that a number of them also qualify as Hyperlexia is a syndrome often connected with autism. The main characteristics are an above normal ability to read coupled with a below normal ability to understand spoken language. Hyperlexia appears to be different from what is known as hypergraphia, which is the urge or compulsion to write but does not... hyperlexic. While many people with Asperger's will probably not have lives that are considered a social success by common standards, and there are some (with varying degrees of this disability) who will remain alone their entire lives, it is possible for such people to find understanding people (sometimes also on the autistic spectrum, sometimes not) with whom they can have close relationships. While they face enormous obstacles, some overcome them and prosper in society. Many autistics have children, in which case their children may be neurotypical or may have an autism spectrum disorder. Many autists are unaware of their autism, because milder forms of autism are widely misunderstood and often undiagnosed or misdiagnosed by professionals.

DSM definition

Asperger's is defined in section 299.80 of the The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, published by the American Psychiatric Association, is the handbook used most often in diagnosing mental disorders in the United States and other countries. While widely accepted among psychologists and psychiatrists, the manual has proved controversial in its listing of certain characteristics as... Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) as:

Please read the A DSM cautionary statement is required to create balance and perspective for the various diagnoses and criteria used in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) published by the American Psychiatric Association. The DSM provides diagnostic categories and criteria for their diagnoses. The proper use of these requires... DSM cautionary statement.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual's diagnostic criteria have been roundly criticized for being vague and subjective: what one psychologist calls a "significant impairment" another psychologist may call insignificant.

Relationship to autism

hans asperger This image may not have information on its source. It may be usable under fair use but this has yet to be verified. It might be public domain or under a licence compatible with the GNU FDL. To the uploader: Please provide licensing information as soon as possible...

Asperger's syndrome is named after Hans Asperger.

Experts today generally agree that there is no single mental condition called autism. Rather, there is a spectrum of autistic disorders, with different forms of autism taking different positions on this spectrum. But within certain circles of the autism/AS community, this concept of a "spectrum" is being severely questioned. If differences in development are purely a function of differential acquisition of skills, then attempting to distinguish between "degrees of severity" may be dangerously misleading. A person may be subjected to unrealistic expectations, or even denied life-saving services, solely on the basis of very superficial observations made by others in the community.

In the Centuries: 19th century - 20th century - 21st century Decades: 1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s - 1940s - 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s Years: 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 Contents // 1 Events and trends 1.1 Technology 1.2 Science 1.3 War, peace and politics 1.4 Economics... 1940s, Dr Leo Kanner MD Leo Kanner (June 13, 1894 - April 4, 1981) was an Austrian-American physician known for his work related to autism. Kanner was born in Klekotow, Austria. He studied at the University of Berlin from 1913, his studies broken by service with the Austrian Army in World... Leo Kanner and Hans Asperger (February 18, 1906-October 21, 1980) was the Austrian pediatrician after whom Aspergers Syndrome is named. Born in Vienna, Asperger published the first definition of Aspergers Syndrome in 1944. In four boys, he identified a pattern of behavior and abilities that he called autistic psychopathy, meaning... Hans Asperger, working independently in the For other uses, see United States (disambiguation) and US (disambiguation). The United States of America, also referred to as the United States, U.S.A., U.S., US, America¹, or the States, is a federal republic of fifty states, mostly in central North America. The U.S. has three land... United States and The Republic of Austria (German Republik Österreich) is a landlocked country in Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Hungary to the east, Italy to the south, and Liechtenstein to the west. The state is a representative democracy governed in accordance with principles of Parliamentarism. Republik Österreich (In Detail... Austria, identified essentially the same population, Asperger's group being perhaps more "socially functional" than Kanner's as a whole. Some of Kanner's originally identified autistic children, might today get an Asperger's syndrome diagnosis, and vice versa. It is a mistake to say that a "Kanner autistic" is a child who sits and rocks and does not communicate. Kanner's study subjects were all along the spectrum.

Researchers are grappling with the problem of how to divide up the spectrum. There is no easy way to do this. It would appear that one can divide the population of autistics in any particular way and define the group accordingly. Autistics who speak, those who don't. Autistics with seizures, those without. Autistics with more "stereotypical behaviors", those with less, and so forth. Some are trying to identify genes associated with these traits as a way to make logical groupings. Eventually, one may hear about autistics with or without the HOXA 1 gene, with or without changes to chromosome 15, etc. Traditionally, Kannerian autism is characterized by significant cognitive and communicative deficiencies, including delays in or lack of language. Often it will be clear that these people do not function normally. An individual with Asperger's on the other hand will not show delays in language. It is a more subtle disorder and affected individuals will often only appear to be odd. Kanner's syndrome is described in the article A boy with autism and his mother Autism refers to a spectrum of disorders, and lies somewhere under the umbrella of a greater encompassing spectrum, that of pervasive developmental disorders that involve the functioning of the brain. Autism as a term is most commonly used to refer to classical autism... autism.

Leo Kanner This image may not have information on its source. It may be usable under fair use but this has yet to be verified. It might be public domain or under a licence compatible with the GNU FDL. To the uploader: Please provide licensing information as soon as possible...

discovered another form of autism around the same time as Hans Asperger.

Dr Leo Kanner MD Leo Kanner (June 13, 1894 - April 4, 1981) was an Austrian-American physician known for his work related to autism. Kanner was born in Klekotow, Austria. He studied at the University of Berlin from 1913, his studies broken by service with the Austrian Army in World... Leo Kanner discovered another form of autism around the same time as Hans Asperger.

Some clinicians believe that communicative and/or cognitive deficiencies are so essential to the concept of autism that they prefer to consider Asperger's as a separate condition altogether from autism. This opinion is a minority one. Uta Frith (an early researcher of Kannerian autism) has written that people with Asperger's seem to have more than a touch of autism to them. Others, such as Lorna Wing and Tony Attwood, share in Frith's assessment. Dr. Sally Ozonoff, of the University of California at Davis's MIND institute, argues that there should be no dividing line between "high-functioning" autism and Asperger's, and that the fact that some don't start to produce speech until a later age is no reason to divide the two groups, as they are identical in the way they need to be treated.

Asperger's syndrome and other forms of autism are often grouped together in a The diagnostic category pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) refers to a group of disorders characterized by delays in the development of multiple basic functions including socialization and communication. Parents may note symptoms as early as infancy and typically onset is prior to 3 years of age. PDD is not fatal and... Pervasive Developmental Disorder family.

Possible causes and origins

The causes and origins of A boy with autism and his mother Autism refers to a spectrum of disorders, and lies somewhere under the umbrella of a greater encompassing spectrum, that of pervasive developmental disorders that involve the functioning of the brain. Autism as a term is most commonly used to refer to classical autism... autism and Asperger's syndrome are subjects of continuing conjecture and debate, and there is still considerable debate on these topics, alongside the broader debate about whether Asperger's and other conditions (such as DISCLAIMER Please remember that Wikipedia is offered for informational use only. The information in most cases is not reviewed by professionals. You are advised to contact your doctor for health-related decisions. Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most commonly diagnosed and controversial mental disorders among children... ADHD) are part of the so-called autism spectrum or not.

Amongst several competing theories are the underconnectivity theory developed by cognitive scientists at Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania City flag City seal City nickname: The Steel City Location in the state of Pennsylvania Founded 1758 Mayor Tom Murphy (Dem) Area - Total - Water 151.1 kmÂ² (58.3 miÂ²) 7.2 kmÂ² (2.8 mi... Carnegie Mellon University and the Motto: Veritas et Virtus Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg School type State-Related Religious affiliation none Founded 1787 Location Main Campus: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Branch Campuses: -Bradford, PA -Greensburg, PA -Johnstown, PA -Titusville, PA Enrollment 34,000 (all campuses) Faculty 3,800 Endowment Campus surroundings URBAN Campus size 132 acres (0.5... University of Pittsburgh, the Neanderthal theory, the extreme male brain theory by Professor Simon Baron-Cohen is the co-director of the Autism Research Centre in Cambridge, in the United Kingdom. He developed the theory of autism being an extreme male brain. He is a well-known and respected expert in his field. He also discovered the existence of high testosterone levels... Simon Baron-Cohen, the lack of The phrase theory of mind can be used in several ways. There are general categories of theories of mind. There are the specific theories of mind attributable to individuals. Theory of mind has also been used (following David Premack and G. Woodruff, 1978) to refer to a specific cognitive capacity... theory of mind, and the Pre-operational autism theory, which states that autistic people are those who get neurologically stuck at the pre-operational stage of cognitive development, where much of information processing is at a holistic-visual level and is largely musical and non-verbal. This also addresses the issue of the theory of mind where children at the pre-operational stage of cognitive development have not attained decentralisation from egocentrism.

The Monotropism and polytropism are different strategies in distributing attention in the brain. Monotropism refers to an attention-tunnel (undivided attention or attention-tunnel), while polytropism refers to multiple divided attention in the brain. The Monotropism hypothesis regards attention-tunnels as the central feature of autism. See Mind as a Dynamical... Monotropism hypothesis argues that the central feature of Autism is attention-tunnelling, monotropism. The hypothesis is founded on the model Mind as a Dynamical System: Implications for Autism (http://www.autismandcomputing.org.uk/mind.htm). In this model of mind, the fundamental and limited resource is mental attention. Mental events compete for and consume attention. In a polytropic mind, many interests are aroused to a moderate degree. In a monotropic mind, few interests are very highly aroused. When many interests are aroused, multiple, complex, behaviours emerge. When few interests are aroused then a few, intensely motivated, behaviours are engendered. From monotropism hypothesis, autism results from different strategies of distributing attention in the brain.

The underconnectivity theory indicates a deficiency in the coordination among brain areas. With the aid of Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (or fMRI) describes the use of MRI to measure hemodynamic signals related to neural activity in the brain or spinal cord of humans or other animals. It is one of the most recently developed forms of brain imaging fMRI data It has been known for over... functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), it was seen that white matter, which connects various areas of the brain like cables, have abnormalities in people with autism [For those interested in brain studies see Neuropsychology is a branch of psychology that aims to understand how the structure and function of the brain relates to specific psychological processes. It is strongly scientific in its approach and shares an information processing view of the mind with cognitive psychology and cognitive science. It is one of the... ].parsimonious, in that it explains why autistic people are matured on certain dimensions, such as visual information processing and logical analysis, and yet are socially — and sometimes neuro-physiologically — significantly younger than their chronological age. The underconnectivity theory can be regarded as Monotropism and polytropism are different strategies in distributing attention in the brain. Monotropism refers to an attention-tunnel (undivided attention or attention-tunnel), while polytropism refers to multiple divided attention in the brain. The Monotropism hypothesis regards attention-tunnels as the central feature of autism. See Mind as a Dynamical... monotropism in the brain.

Other theories address the rise of autism in recent times. They suggest that the rise of visual media and the increasingly central role of visual information processing in the breakdown of language contributes to the increase of autism. Other theories involve the effect of toxins and poisons on neural development. It has been suggested that high levels of heavy metals such as For the lead in news writing, see news style. For the lead in acting, see leading actor. Thallium - Lead - Bismuth Sn Pb Uuq Full table General Name, Symbol, Number Lead, Pb, 82 Chemical series Poor metals Group, Period, Block 14(IVA), 6 , p Density, Hardness 11340... lead may be a causal factor, and lead poisoning has been strongly linked to some cases of severe autism.

One of the most controversial claims is that conditions such as autism and Asperger's are caused by adverse side-effects of Immunization (AmE) or Immunisation (BE) has a number of meanings: In medicine immunization is the process by which an individual is exposed to a material that is designed to prime his or her immune system against that material. In finance immunization is the matching of the term (life) of an... immunisation — particularly the so-called The MMR vaccine is a combined vaccine for immunization against measles, mumps and rubella. It is generally administered to children around the age of 1 year, with a booster dose before starting school (i.e. age 4/5). It is widely used around the world; since its introduction in the... triple antigen A bottle and a syringe containing the influenza vaccine. A vaccine (named after vaccinia, the infectious agent of cowpox, which, when vaccinated, provides protection against smallpox) is used to enhance to response of the immune system. It may prepare a human or animals immune system to defend the body... vaccine — and from the heavy-metal preservatives that in the past were used in their manufacture. Although this theory has a degree of popular currency and has been discussed in a number of documentaries on the subject, it fails to address the basic empirical observation that Asperger's and related disorders are overwhelmingly predominant in males, yet children of the two sexes are immunised in roughly equal numbers.

A lesser known theory is that Asperger's and related syndromes may, in part, perpetrate genetic traits which were once highly advantageous to survival. One of the most notable characteristics of many people with Asperger's is that even very young children display a prodigious and often Photographic memory or eidetic memory is the ability to recall images, sounds, or objects in memory with great accuracy and in seemingly unlimited volume. For instance, many famous artists and composers like Claude Monet and Mozart possibly had eidetic memory. However, Dr. Marvin Minsky in his book The Society of... eidetic ( Lens and mounting of a large format camera Photography is the technique of recording and generating permanent images, by the capturing and preservation of physical stimulus-patterns on a layer of photosensitive material. It involves recording light patterns as reflected from objects, on to a sensitive medium through momentary exposure... photographic) For computer memory, see computer storage. Memory is a property of the human mind: the ability to retain information. Memory is much studied by cognitive psychology and neuroscience. There are multiple types of classifications for memory based on duration, nature and retrieval of perceived items. The main stages in the... memory, with the ability to precisely recall very large amounts of music, dialogue and speech after even a single hearing.

Although being able to precisely memorize and recall vast amounts of detail, such as cricket scores, dinosaur facts or television-show dialogue, may seem little more than an unusual trait in our society, it is important to realize that such a skill would have had a high value in pre-literate society. The ability to accurately memorize and re-tell stories, myths, histories and other important oral traditions — such as directions to a remote food or water source — could have meant the difference between life and death before the invention of writing.

In September 2004, Marc-Antoine Alexandre Bourget has published his master thesis at UQAMs urban campus in Montreals Quartier Latin Motto: None Founded 1969 School type Public Rector Roch Denis Location Montreal, Quebec Enrollment 34,355 undergrad, 6,269 grad, 1,633 others Campus surroundings Urban Campus size - Sports teams Citadins Mascot Citadin The Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM... UQAM showing that 29% of autistics have a In cell biology, a mitochondrion is an organelle found in the cells of most eukaryotes. Mitochondria are sometimes described as cellular power plants because their primary purpose is to manufacture adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is used as a source of energy. The number of mitochondria found in different types of... mitochondrial DNA anomaly that allowed him to formulate his hypothesis of a mitochondrial neanderthal Eve that six genetic markers dated circa 27000 BC. While his hypothesis is considered controversial, it could explain the origin of autism by hybridation of For other uses, see Neanderthal (disambiguation). Neanderthals Conservation status: Fossil H. neanderthalensis La Ferrassie 1 Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Subphylum: Vertebrata Class: Mammalia Order: Primates Family: Hominidae Genus: Homo Species: H. neanderthalensis Binomial name Homo neanderthalensis King, 1864 The Neanderthal or Neandertal was a species of genus Homo... neanderthal characteristics in For other uses, see Human (disambiguation). Human beings are defined variously in biological, spiritual, and cultural terms, or in combinations thereof. Biologists classify human beings as Homo sapiens (Latin for knowing man), a primate species of mammal with a highly developed brain, belonging to the family of great apes, along... homo sapiens lineage. That would explain the crossing over and inprinting in Prader-Willi syndrome is a genetic disorder in which seven genes (or some subset thereof) on chromosome 15 are missing or unexpressed (chromosome 15q partial deletion). It was identified in 1956 by Andrea Prader, Heinrich Willi, Alexis Labhart, and Guido Fanconi of Switzerland. Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is characterized by... Prader-Willi Syndrome. However, the hypothesis that Neanderthals and Homo Sapiens interbred is itself controversial, with some researchers claiming that their recent DNA studies show that the two species never interbred.

Effect on relationships

The Significant other (sig ot or SO) is a gender-blind, politically correct term to refer to a persons partner in a intimate relationship without disclosing or presuming anything about his or her marital status or sexual orientation. It is also vague enough to avoid offence from using a term... significant others of people with Asperger's are more prone to major The word depression can mean: A decrease of functional activity in behavior patterns. The everyday term for a sad mood, see depression (mood) The medical condition clinical depression A sunken or depressed geological formation, see depression (geology) An economic depression, is a more severe downturn than a recession The Great... depression than the general population because people with Asperger's often have trouble showing This article is in need of attention. Please see its listing on Pages needing attention and improve it (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Affection&action=edit) in any way you see fit. When the issues regarding this page have been resolved, remove this notice and... affection or have little desire to show affection, and can be very literal and hard to communicate with in an emotional way. It is helpful for those involved with someone with Asperger's to read as much as they can about Asperger's syndrome, For other things named OCD, see OCD (disambiguation). For other types of obsession, see obsession (disambiguation). For other types of compulsion, see compulsion (disambiguation). Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder. OCD is manifested in a variety of forms, but is most commonly characterized by a subjects obsessive... obsessive-compulsive disorder, Hyperlexia is a syndrome often connected with autism. The main characteristics are an above normal ability to read coupled with a below normal ability to understand spoken language. Hyperlexia appears to be different from what is known as hypergraphia, which is the urge or compulsion to write but does not... hyperlexia and other In medicine and in psychiatry, comorbidity refers to: The presence of one or more disorders (or diseases) in addition to a primary disease or disorder. The effect of such additional disorders or diseases. Contents // 1 Comorbidity in medicine 1.1 Charlson Index 1.2 DRG 2 Comorbidity in psychiatry Comorbidity... comorbid disorders. It also helps to visit Support groups exist to combat or legitimise conditions or behaviours. In the case of disease, an identity or a pre-disposition, for example, a support group can provide information, act as a clearing-house for experiences, and serve as a public relations voice for sufferers, other members, and their families... support groups' websites on the Web and talk with others who are involved with people with Asperger's. A significant other will often be much less angry or depressed if he or she understands that the Asperger's symptoms are not intentionally directed, but are part of a Neurology is a branch of medicine dealing with disorders of the central and peripheral nervous systems. Surgical operations on the nervous system are done by specialist neurosurgeons. Neurological disorders are disorders of the central nervous system (brain, brainstem and cerebellum), the peripheral nervous system (including cranial nerves), and the autonomic... neurodevelopmental disorder. That when someone does not spontaneously show affection, it does not necessarily mean that he or she does not feel it. Thus, the significant other will come to feel less rejected and be more understanding. Light will be shed on the nature of the misunderstandings. They may figure out ways to work around the problems; for example, by being more explicit about their needs. For instance, when describing emotions, it can be helpful to be direct and to avoid vague terms like "upset" when the emotion being described is "anger". Another suggestion could be to lay out in clear language what the problem is and to ask the partner with Asperger's to describe what emotions are being felt or ask why a certain emotion was being felt.

A gift and a curse

Recently, some researchers have speculated that many well-known people including Andy Warhol (August 6, 1928 - February 22, 1987) was an American painter and major figure in the pop art movement. Warhol was born Andrew Warhola in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, to Slovakian immigrants of Ruthenian ethnicity. He showed early artistic talent, and studied commercial art at the Carnegie Institute of... Andy Warhol, Andrew Geoffrey Kaufman (January 17, 1949 – May 16, 1984) was a New York-born American self-described song and dance man. Though many refer to him as a comedian, Andy himself hated this, saying I never told a joke in my life. He is one of the most famous... Andy Kaufman, Craig Nicholls is the lead singer/songwriter/guitarist of the rock group the Vines. He was born in Sydney, Australia on August 31, 1977. He has Aspergers Syndrome, a form of autism. ... Craig Nicholls, Glenn Herbert Gould (September 25, 1932–October 4, 1982) was a celebrated Canadian pianist, noted especially for his recordings of Johann Sebastian Bach. He gave up live performances in 1964, dedicating himself to the recording studio for the rest of his career. Contents // 1 Life 2 Gould as musician... Glenn Gould, This article needs cleanup. Please edit this article to conform to a higher standard of article quality. Gary Numan (March 8, 1958), real name Gary Webb, is a British singer, songwriter and electropop pioneer. Contents // 1 Career 1.1 Style 1.2 1980s 1.3 Career low point 1.4... Gary Numan, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (January 27, 1756 – December 5, 1791) was one of the most significant and influential of all composers of Western classical music. His works are loved by many and are frequently performed. Contents // 1 Life 1.1 The years of travel 1.2 Mozart... Mozart, Eric Alfred Leslie Satie (born Honfleur, 17 May 1866 – 1 July 1925 in Paris) was a French composer, performing pianist and publicist. He also described himself as a gymnopedist (in 1887, shortly before writing his most famous compositions, the Gymnopédies), and later as a phonometrograph or phonometrician (someone... Erik Satie, Nikola Tesla Pioneer in the study of electricity Born July 10, 1856 Smiljan, Gospić, Military Frontier, Austria-Hungary Died January 7, 1943 New York City, New York, USA Nikola Tesla (July 10, 1856 - January 7, 1943) was a physicist, inventor, and electrical engineer of unusual intellectual brilliance and practical... Nikola Tesla, For other topics related to Einstein see Einstein (disambiguation). Portrait of Albert Einstein taken by Yousuf Karsh on February 11, 1948 Albert Einstein (March 14, 1879–April 18, 1955) was a theoretical physicist who is widely regarded as the greatest scientist of the 20th century. He proposed the theory... Albert Einstein, Sir Isaac Newton in Knellers portrait of 1689. Sir Isaac Newton (25 December 1642 – 20 March 1727 by the Julian calendar in use in England at the time; or 4 January 1643 – 31 March 1727 by the Gregorian calendar) was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, philosopher, and... Isaac Newton, and For other uses, see Bill Gates (disambiguation). Another Gates pic, from http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/images/gallery/execs/web/gates-3.jpg This picture is most probably under copyright This image has information on its source, however it does not have information on its copyright status. It may be... Bill Gates have or had AS, as they showed some Asperger's related tendencies, such as intense interest in one subject and social problems. Such diagnoses remain controversial, however (cf. BBC News, Einstein and Newton "had autism" (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2988647.stm), 30 April 2003), and some more so than others, as most scholars seem to agree that Satie suffered at least from some form of autism.

The obvious social contributions of such individuals has led to a shift in the perception of Asperger's and autism away from the simple view of a disease needing to be cured towards a more complex view of a syndrome with advantages and disadvantages. There is a semi-jocular theory within Science fiction fandom is the community of people actively interested in science fiction and in contact with one another based upon that interest. Fandom has a life of its own, but not much in the way of formal organization. Fandom is large enough that it may be viewed as forming... science fiction fandom, for example, which argues that many of the distinctive traits of that In biology, a subculture in a population of a microorganism is when one microbe colony in such a population is transferred onto blank growth medium and allowed to freely reproduce. In sociology, a subculture is a culture or set of people with distinct behavior and beliefs within a larger culture... subculture may be explained by the speculation that a significant portion thereof is composed of people with Asperger's. A Wired magazine is a full-color monthly magazine and on-line periodical published in San Francisco, California since March 1993. It reports on how technology and the Internet affect culture, the economy, and politics. (It is not at all related any longer to Wired News, which publishes at Wired.com... Wired Magazine article called The Geek Syndrome (http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/9.12/aspergers_pr.html) suggested that Asperger's syndrome is more common in the Silicon Valley is a nickname for the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in northern California, USA, originally referring to the concentration of silicon chip innovators and manufacturers, but eventually becoming a metaphor for the entire concentration of high tech businesses. It encompasses the northern part of Santa... Silicon Valley, a haven for computer scientists and mathematicians. It created an enduring myth popularized in the media and self-help books that "Geek Syndrome" equals Asperger's syndrome, and precipitated a rash of self-diagnoses. Though these conditions do share traits, there is a consensus that most geeks are arguably "variant normal" and do not exhibit autistic-spectrum behaviors. "Geeks" may exhibit an extreme professional or casual interest in computers, science, engineering and related fields, and may be introverted; however, they do not suffer from impairements per se. This does not imply that there is no overlap between "geeks" and Asperger's patients, but it should be noted that self-diagnosis is a dangerous practice, and one prone to error.

Criticisms

Some people, including some people diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, argue that Asperger's syndrome is a Social scientists and literary scholars have claimed that many things are social constructions or social constructs, or that they have been socially constructed. Contents // 1 The term social construction 2 What entails a social construct? 2.1 Weak social constructionism 2.2 Strong social constructionism 3 What kind of analyses... social construct. Professor Professor Simon Baron-Cohen is the co-director of the Autism Research Centre in Cambridge, in the United Kingdom. He developed the theory of autism being an extreme male brain. He is a well-known and respected expert in his field. He also discovered the existence of high testosterone levels... Simon Baron-Cohen of the Autism Research Centre has written a book arguing that Asperger's syndrome is an extreme version of the way in which men's brains differ from women's. He says that, in general, men are better at systematizing than women, and that women are better at empathizing than men. Hans Asperger himself is quoted as saying that his patients have 'an extreme version of the male form of intelligence'.

One objection which has been put forward to this view is that, although AS is more common among males than females, females with AS do not necessarily come across as particularly masculine personalities, and some of them can show an exceptional interest in "feminine" activities e.g. dancing.

Affectionate terms

"Aspie" is an affectionate term used by some with Asperger's syndrome to describe themselves. Others prefer "Aspergian," or no name at all.

Careers and Free Trade Effects

Free trade is an economic concept referring to the selling of products between countries without tariffs or other trade barriers. Free trade is the absence of artificial (government-imposed) barriers to trade among individuals and firms in different nations. International trade is often constricted by different national taxes, other fees... Free Trade may have a strong impact on available careers for those with the syndrome in "high wage" countries. Those with the syndrome generally gravitate toward technical and scientific jobs which either do not require a lot of social interaction, or in which poor social skills can be "forgiven" because of other skills.

However, globalization and Internet technology has made it possible to hire experts for as much as 1/10th the wage level found in the high-wage countries. This diminishes the value of non-social skills and can put those with the syndrome at a disadvantage. For example, unemployed computer programmers are encouraged to strive for more "face time" with customers and managers in order to find a job feature that remote (global) workers cannot directly compete with. The problem is that formal education in social skills is hard to find and probably not very effective.

As technical jobs shrink or stagnate due to globalization, economists often suggest a liaison job, such as project manager or systems analyst for displaced computer programmers, for example. ("software engineer" is sometimes included in this category, depending on the company.) Unlike direct programming, these liaison jobs continue to expand in the high-wage country. However, often companies prefer more socially-inclined employees for such positions, even if their technical abilities are not as strong as those with Asperger traits. Thus, even though such jobs have some technical aspect to them, Asperger candidates may still be bypassed. More formal education is not necessarily a solution because social and office politics is a slang term for the often counterproductive human factors present between coworkers, in an office environment in the private or public sector. Aspects of office politics: Smokers often form an inner-circle of office gossip during their outdoor smoking breaks. The water cooler is another gathering ground... office politics skills are the bottleneck to many liaison positions, not technical ability.

Characteristics

Social interaction and cognitive patterns

DSM definition

Relationship to autism

Possible causes and origins

Effect on relationships

A gift and a curse

Criticisms

Affectionate terms

Careers and Free Trade Effects

References

See also

External links

Community forum sites

Support groups

Informational

Medical community

Humor

Literature

Characteristics GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

Social interaction and cognitive patterns

DSM definition

Relationship to autism

Possible causes and origins

Effect on relationships

A gift and a curse

Criticisms

Affectionate terms

Careers and Free Trade Effects

References

See also

External links

Community forum sites

Support groups

Informational

Medical community

Humor

Literature

Characteristics