Asperger Syndrome: 10 Signs To Identify This Disorder
He Asperger’s syndrome It is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects social functioning, communication and language, motor capacity and the activities and interests of the individual who suffers from it, despite the fact that intelligence is normal (and even above average).
Currently, Asperger Syndrome has been discontinued from the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria manual. and this category has become included within autism spectrum disorders. However, its causes, symptoms and signs should be explained here to put into context a diagnostic label that was widely used in recent decades.
The cause of Asperger’s Syndrome appears to be dysfunction of various brain circuits and the affected areas are the amygdala, the frontostriatal and temporal circuits and the cerebellum, structures that are involved in the development of social relationships.
Asperger Syndrome affects between 3 and 7 out of every 1,000 children (ages 7 to 16) and there are more cases in boys than in girls. The presence of an average (high) intelligence can cause the difficulties and limitations presented by individuals who suffer from this disorder to be underestimated.
Having a high IQ (intelligence quotient) is not a guarantee of a satisfactory life since emotional and social intelligence is important to achieve personal, academic and professional success and is essential to develop capabilities such as empathy, social judgment, common sense or the ability to negotiate.
The characteristic way of thinking and understanding the world that people who suffer from Asperger Syndrome have has caused many debates among experts. Currently, there seems to be a certain consensus in stating that The peculiar psychological functioning of individuals who suffer from this disorder can be explained from several theoretical models.
Although these models are highly relevant, to date none of these theories has been able to explain Asperger’s Syndrome in its entirety.
Deficit in the “Theory of Mind”
Theory of mind refers to the ability to infer the mental states of other people : in your thoughts, desires, beliefs, etc., and use the information received to predict your behavior and find meaning in your behavior. That is, the theory of mind refers to the ability to put oneself in the place of another.
Studies carried out in this field indicate that people with Asperger Syndrome are unable to formulate an explanation for the thoughts or behavior of others. The theory of mind deficit causes the impossibility of explaining and understanding both one’s own and other people’s behaviors and, therefore, it is not only impossible to predict what others will do and their intentions, but it affects most activities. daily activities that influence the personal development and well-being of individuals who suffer from this pathology.
Executive function deficit
Executive function is the ability to maintain active an appropriate set of problem-solving strategies in order to achieve a future goal. Therefore, it is associated with intentionality, purpose and complex decision making (for example, impulse control, inhibition of inappropriate responses, etc.).
This seems to be caused by malfunctioning of the frontal lobe. People with Asperger Syndrome have a deficit of executive functions, since their behavior and thinking is rigid, repetitive and perseverant. Examples of this deficit may be: inability to make plans, organizational difficulties, etc.
Right Hemisphere Dysfunction
The Right Hemisphere (HD) is important for the processing of visuospatial information for aspects related to language (intonation or prosody) and is related to the expression and interpretation of emotions.
HD dysfunction is related to problems in social life such as the interpretation of gestures, problems in the intonation of the messages to be transmitted, problems with body posture or difficulties in integrating coherent information. People with this disorder have difficulty grasping the emotional meaning of others, poor performance on tasks that require the integration of visual-motor information, and difficulties in social relationships.
Signs to detect Asperger Syndrome
There are many behaviors that can indicate the presence of Asperger Syndrome. In summary, below are 10 characteristic signs of this disorder :
