Asperger syndrome: 10 signs of this disorder

The Asperger syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects social functioning, communication and language, motor skills and the activities and interests of the individual who suffers it, despite the fact that intelligence is normal (and even above the half).

Currently Asperger's Syndrome has been discontinued from the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria manual and this category has become encompassed within autism spectrum disorders. However, its causes, symptoms and signs can be explained here to put into context a diagnostic label that was widely used during the last decades.

The cause of Asperger's Syndrome appears to be the dysfunction of various brain circuits, and the affected areas are the amygdala, frontostriatum and temporal circuits, and cerebellum, structures that are involved in the development of the social relationship.

10 signs to detect Asperger Syndrome

Asperger's Syndrome affects between 3 and 7 out of every 1000 children (ages 7 to 16) and there are more cases in boys than in girls. The presence of medium (high) intelligence can cause the difficulties and limitations of individuals with this disorder to be underestimated.

Having a high IQ (intelligence quotient) is not a guarantee of a satisfying life, Since the emotional intelligence and social is important to achieve personal, academic and professional success and is essential to develop skills such as empathy, social judgment, common sense or the ability to negotiate.

Neurological functioning of Asperger's Syndrome

The characteristic way of thinking and understanding the world that people with Asperger Syndrome have has caused much debate among experts. Currently, there seems to be some consensus in stating that the peculiar psychological functioning of individuals suffering from this disorder can be explained from various theoretical models.

Although these models are highly relevant, so far none of these theories have been able to explain Asperger's Syndrome in its entirety.

Deficit in the "Theory of Mind"

The Theory of mind make reference to the ability to infer other people's mental states: in their thoughts, desires, beliefs, etc., and use the information that is received to predict their behavior and look for a meaning to their behavior. That is, the theory of mind refers to the ability to put oneself in the place of the other.

Studies carried out in this field indicate that people with Asperger Syndrome are unable to formulate an explanation for the thinking or behavior of others. The deficit of the theory of mind causes the impossibility of explaining and understanding both one's own behaviors and those of others and, therefore, it is not only impossible to predict what others and their intentions will do, but it affects most of the daily activities that influence the personal development and well-being of individuals who suffer from this pathology.

Executive function deficit

The executive function it is the ability to keep an appropriate set of problem-solving strategies active in order to reach a future goal. Therefore, it is associated with intentionality, purpose, and complex decision-making (for example, impulse control, inhibition of inappropriate responses, etc.).

This appears to be the cause of the malfunction of the frontal lobe. People with Asperger Syndrome have a executive functions deficit, as their behavior and thinking is rigid, repetitive and persevering. Examples of this deficit can be: inability to make plans, organizational difficulties, etc.

Right hemisphere dysfunction

The Right hemisphere (HD) is important for processing 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, as the gesture interpretation, 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 in tasks that require the integration of visual-motor information, and difficulties in the relationship Social.

Signs to detect Asperger's Syndrome

There are many behaviors that can indicate the presence of Asperger's Syndrome. In summary, below are shown 10 characteristic signs of this disorder:

• Difficulties for social interaction and limited social relationships
• Lack of empathy with other people
• Difficulty understanding and understanding the world around them and the emotions of others
• They can react annoyingly to certain external stimuli: noise, images, light ...
• They may show motor retardation and clumsiness in their movements
• Restricted, rigid, systematic and repetitive interests and activities
• Eccentric or unusual behaviors
• They don't usually look into your eyes when he talks to you
• They speak a lot, in a high and peculiar tone, and use pedantic language, extremely formal and with an extensive vocabulary
• They make up idiosyncratic words or expressions
• At times they seem to be absent, deep in thought