Ever wonder why that kid in seventh grade only ever wore a certain type of shirt and sweat pants? Even when the mercury hit 90 degrees Farenheit? Or why the kid in fourth grade asked you if you liked to eat green apples--as a greeting? Every time you saw him in the hall? Ever admire those same kids because they could do complicated math problems or talk the teacher in circles about almost any topic?

Ever wonder what made Albert Einstein tick?

If you don't have a clue what Asperger Syndrome is, you're not alone. Asperger Syndrome is an unfamiliar term to many people who are not involved with special needs kids or special education. First off, it's "P" not "B" in Asperger. It helps to remember that when doing a search. The disorder is named after the Austrian pediatrician Hans Asperger who first identified the patterns that classify Asperger Syndrome (AS) in the mid 1900's.

AS falls under the category "Pervasive Developmental Disorder (or Delay), Not Otherwise Specified" (PDD-NOS) which is an umbrella term that covers neurological disorders similar to, but not quite the same as, autism (which falls under the "just plain PDD" umbrella). I think of it as the "gray area" of autism. If you envision autism and AS on a "PDD continuum", follow the spiky line from low functioning autism (completely nonverbal, and not involved in the world as "we" know it) up to HFA and into AS. A PDD-diagnosed person's relative placement on that scale is not the issue, however. I offer this information only to give a point of reference to those unfamiliar with these disorders.

The autistic spectrum is a wide one and only now beginning to surmount public misconceptions. A person diagnosed with autism may be completely non-verbal, or appear to be quite "normal" a.k.a. High Functioning Autistic (HFA). Unless you spend a lot of time with such a person, you may not notice they are "different", because, as "high functioning", they've been able to learn coping tactics that fool the rest of the world, and to learn to deal with the rest of the world. Things, such as reading facial expressions, that come intuitively to many of us, and which are keys to "appropriate" social interaction, must be taught to the person with AS or autism.

Over the past decade, Asperger Syndrome has become more widely recognized as a disorder separate from autism. Many diagnosed as HFA are now concluding that AS is a more fitting diagnosis. As similar as Autism and AS are, they do have different, if not hard to detect, presentations. There are several different sets of diagnostic criteria for AS. All have certain basic criteria in common, and all go into greater detail than the following, which is quoted from ASPERGER SYNDROME by Tony Atwood (Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 1998):

These are the main features as described by Lorna Wing (Burgoine and Wind, 1983):

• Lack of empathy
• Naïve, inappropriate or one-sided interaction
• Little or no ability to form friendships
• Pedantic, repetitive speech
• Poor non-verbal communication
• Intense absorption in certain subjects
• Clumsy and ill-coordinated movements and odd postures

More detailed diagnostic criteria by Gillberg & Gillberg and by Szatmari & Nagy as well as the DSMIV (1994) and ICD-10 (World Health Organization) criteria can be found in tables at the back of Atwood's book, an excellent starting point for AS information and coping strategies.

Asperger's people march to a different drummer, and the beat, although it can be frustrating for parents and others, is often a thing of beauty and humor, if we only open our minds and hearts to it.

For more comprehensive information please visit the website, "OASIS", and don't miss the article "What the DSM IV Means to Me", written by a woman with AS.