Asperger Syndrome in the modern world -Copyright Robert Fullarton 2015

Asperger Syndrome in the modern world

-Copyright Robert Fullarton 2015

The fieldwork behind the discovery of the disorder itself originated with an Austrian Paediatrician called Hans Aspergers during the 1940’s in Nazi Germany. Here was a man who had dedicated his life to a groundbreaking new form of social science, psychiatry and psychology that observed the differences in children from early childhood to adolescence. He himself remarked keenly on the differences between boys of certain ages in school between the popularity and the appraisal of certain boys – the confident ones- and the often self sought solitude and isolation pursued by other boys. Certain boys were clumsy in the field of sports and outdoor activities, having poor motor neuron skills, being inept at participating in team based sports. Poor coordination was the result of this ineptitude and this imbalance.

The observance of certain boys typecast as loners, outside the particular circles of the dominant schoolboys could be seen cultivating their own special interests with an avid keenness. Aspies (the diminutive name for a person with Asperger Syndrome) develop obsessional interests in certain areas and fields of life. Some for example develop a keenness for calculus and mathematics, which is a pathology for seeking comfort, meaning, a sense of belonging to a certain subject or field and with maths, the Aspie is calculating and scrutinising on the patterns of Mathematics, seeking comfort often in logic. Other Aspies seek this familiarity and pathology of comfort in language the linguistically based framework of words, written patterns, to be memorised to succinct perfection, to express their needs and desires. The development of special interests may come in an intense, rigorously based passion for planets and aliens, for others it may come in the form of ancient history, toy cars, trains, aeroplanes, movies, minerals and animals. The list goes on and is more complicated than mere words and descriptions put together.

Asperger Syndrome Disorder itself is generally a more mild and highly functional form of Autism, can be often hard to trace at first and on mere superficial levels of appearances and first impressions. It is something that can be delved into and understood by the symptoms when they are manifested in the child. These will most likely make the child look erratic, eccentric, somewhat neurotic and very anxious. Their obsessional interests, an ineptitude to understand body language, apparent lack of empathy –only in certain cases- physical clumsiness, poor eye contact and inability to understand and separate connotations from the literal meaning, when told something by a parent or peer.

Many Aspies cannot understand the subtlety of body language and its importance within society, the literal approach is often enough or the only thing sought under their interpretation and this is often how an Aspie can suffer at the hands of bullies for being seen to be naïve when unable to read body language of peers, for giving their literal rendition and their opinion. The differences in children are observed by adults from afar but felt innately by the child within. The complacency of the child at odds with his school peers is greatly disturbed often by the sheer loneliness and the estrangement he feels with his classmates. Often the idea of participating with other boys and girls can be difficult. It can be a test of courage and determination and when the Aspie child tries to make friends with a classmate – on a varying wavelength- he often is misunderstood, but a sheer lacking capacity to express himself, confidence often does not show and anxiety is felt or a clumsiness is exposed when dealing with peers and the games of the school yard. The initiation rites of children- which are not far removed from the initiation rights of the primitive societies of our prehistory- can be very selective, can be discriminative and based often upon confidence asserted and exerted, physical appearance, size, stamina and the general agility displayed by the Aspie in question. Some Aspies develop early with a profound discovery of their special interest, to which a social life or a lack of a social life depends upon, while others like myself, develop much later perhaps not until they have reached their early twenties.

Throughout history, from the evolution of medicine in the enlightenment era, onwards through the growth of psychoanalysis and psychology, many children and adults alike were seen be dysfunctional neurotics, or perhaps to be mildly mentally handicapped. Others were regarded to be suffering from madness, to be greatly eccentric and later on even to be psychotic or to be schizoaffective. These generalisations propounded have proven to be in the majority of cases to be inadequately drawn conclusions, an ineffective prognosis designated for the bewildering behaviour of individuals in contrast to more socially acceptable rules of behaviour. In reference to this, many great geniuses in various fields of academia, like Ludwig Van Beethoven, Mozart, Issac Newton, Albert Einstein, Ludwig Wittegenstein, W.B Yeats and Franz Kafka have all in recent times appeared on the lists of speculative research into famous disorderly individuals in history who bared a behavioural likeness with the symptoms of Asperger Syndrome Disorder. Of course the list itself has been extended to cover many more great prodigies, scientists, artists, writers and philosophers that have forged and cultivated the great cultures of the earth and indeed many have opposed and amended the faults of popular society. Most of these names in theory can be credited to have the disorder and even I can acknowledge this, but of course not all these specimens of irregularity can be simply labelled as having Asperger Syndrome.

The same old label and the old fashioned stigma of clinicians continue throughout the whole area and sphere of mental health issues. A diagnosis itself can be a delicate matter for the subject in question.

But nevertheless these great prodigies and figures of intelligence, the boundary pushing men of thought, wonder makers and creators themselves are exemplary of the achievements that can be made both academically and personally on a non-academic level. The development, the acceptance, the self conscious understanding and the cultivation of special interests can yield a great result for the Aspie, new levels are reached in their particular field – due to the frequency and the sheer intensity to which the Aspie gives to his particular subject- this adherence may be the very meaning of life to which all joy and peace of mind revolve around. The Autistic and the Aspie neurochemistry, the brainwaves and the receptivity to which Aspies respond, correspond and fulfil their own duties and obligatory duties works in a fundamentally different way to Neuro Typicals (which I will call NT’s for the remainder of the book)

- those outside the Aspie spectrum itself- and this has been proven by neurologists and psychologists on this particular subject, but it is indeed a delicate subject and it is greatly contested as a whole. But the Aspie develops a depth for thinking, for analysis and observation and that is why many Aspies make good mathematicians and philosophers- and indeed many of the great philosophers have been speculated to have had traits of Asperger Syndrome themselves- the sheer power and profundity of thought and the application of such thinking has been a means for Aspies to transcend themselves above their own antagonising culture or society of the day, they are generally introverted, but may not be exclusively introverted, they generally operate out of interior methods of living and retrospection and examine the intricate matters of science, cosmology, nature, the arts, metaphysics, moral codes, music notation and symphonic perfection. On an outward appearance the eccentricities of the Aspie are self evident and apparent, a stormy countenance, moodiness, a greatly dishevelled appearance, a lacking care for table manners and social appetites are also apparent along with perhaps even a lack of cleanliness and courtliness in general these examples may be apparent. These are the quirks, the eccentricities and patterns formed, as the Aspies comfort in their own routines and through this they build a familiarity with what they perceive to be beneficial and stimulating in some forms. Often an Aspie will conform to an eccentric lifestyle as a means of being released from a crippling anxiety or fear with tasks, objects or people that may be too onerous, too pressurising too deal with. The root of such routines are to minimize anxiety, harm and the stigma of others and even granted for the individual to dedicate more time, effort and energy to their own specified interest. As the NT may be merely satisfied with ordinary world around them, the Aspie will try at their utmost best to be a perfectionist.

It was not until the 1980’s that Hans Asperger’s work received much credibility in the field of child psychiatry, behavioural studies and psychology. Today, the disorder has been widely diagnosed, with males more likely on the scale of 4:1 with girls, but this estimation has been speculated to be erroneous and the gap has somewhat closed in, or has yet to close in. But still there is a somewhat more open apparentness of males being diagnosed or suspected to have ASD over girls, perhaps as some have suggested, that girls are better at adapting at an early age to peer pressure and that they hide the symptoms to a better degree, who knows?

More and more people today are being diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome Disorder –on the Autistic Spectrum- and more emphasis has been placed on educating the wider public about this behavioural disorder which these days, still receives much stigma and misunderstanding, particularly in the schooling environment. There exists public bodies-funded by the government- such as Aspire (the National Society for Asperger Syndrome in Ireland), Asiam (a social group set up for the benefit of helping Autistic people find employment) and the Galway Autism Project (GAP).

There are various social groups that meet once a week and offer individuals with

the opportunity to meet new people, make friends, create new connections and support for those who need assistance. Such groups exist in the cities of Ireland but are almost non-existent for rural dwellings.

St.Peter’s Primary School in Rathgar, has been funded by the government for the education of young children, diagnosed –at an early stage- for specific one to one help- and this is of course provided at the Lucena Clinic in Rathgar, Dublin, where out-patients on the Autistic Spectrum can be registered and make appointments for specialised paediatric care.

For Children who have a more intense form Autism (which some call low functioning Autism or just Autism as traditionally defined, as opposed to Asperger Syndrome) there are schools such as the Saplings schools that operate in both Dublin and around the country. These schools have been championed, highlighted and helped by certain parents that have fundraised for the growth of resources, specific teaching equipment, methods and classrooms that will give the children the most they need and will in time offer a tremendous breakthrough in understanding the behavioural psychology behind Autism. There is plenty of Government funding for such schools and specific methods, but the reader must not forget that the private philanthropy of individuals goes a long way in the running and maintaining of such schools and it this too –specifically this too- helps raise awareness and understanding. It has been an achievement in the face of old stigmas and misunderstandings.