Aspergers characteristics
Notice
It is important to know that all the characteristics do not have to be pressent in everyone with an ASD disorder. Furthermore, these characteristics can vary from moment to moment, depending on the mood of the person and the events around him or her. Recognizing yourself in these characteristics does not mean that you have autism. You can use the information on this website as a pretext for an test.
The characteristics
Someone with Asperger's can have major preoccupations (or fiebs). A preoccupation is an excessive interest in one particular thing. The subject of the preoccupation could be anything and varies per person. One knows all about lampposts, while the other is completely "obsessed" by pebbles. Very typical of Asperger's (and ASD in general) is not so much the topic of interest, but the level of interest. Often the subject is very important for the person. Someone may have as a preoccupation with football because he or she can keep the scores, to classify them into categories, and can compare them to other clubs and other years.
The children who have been examined by Hans Asperger were minor professors, because they have a very extensive knowledge of the subject and had a balanced picture, just like professors. What is striking is that they had no overview of everyday life.
Someone with Asperger's often does everything from his or hers inteligence and less from feeling. The brains of someone with Asperger's are often compared to a computer. Any information someone with Asperger's takes in is very carefully saved in "folders." Those folders are not or poorly interconnected, making it difficult to look from one folder into another. This makes it difficult for someone with Aspergers to switch from one event to another or he or she continues to far on the wrong way.
Someone with Asperger's often speaks (very) formal and dignified (this also applies to PDD-NOS and McDD but is particularly evident in people with Asperger). Someone with Asperger's often seem very determined and positive because of their authoritarian pronouncements. Furthermore, people with Asperger's often are very good at spelling and like dictation. Also they like to explain spelling and grammar rules to others and they can often as a child read as someone who is much older (this does not mean that they immediately understand what it says!). Also people with Asperger often speak in great detail about things. Example: "I saw a man walking with a dog on a leash. This dog had a tie and the man wore jeans and a long gray raincoat. They walked very quickly. The man told the dog that they woulld be home soon." In the example is the only this that is imporant is that someone walked with a dog and the man said they would go home soon. Everything else it is not important, while someone with Asperger's will probably tell it.
When someone with Asperger's has a "small talk" conversation, he or she can be tense. He or she will quickly get stuck in a "small talk" conversation. When the goal is to be social and not the exchange of information, an individual with Asperger will be tense. They will turn the conversation in such direction to processing information or conclussions. This may cause irritation to the other party because he is not looking for information but relaxation.
In people with Asperger's you see so called "echolalia" and "palilalia." Echolalia is the compulsive repetition of words and phrases of others. Palilalie is compulsive repetition of words and phrases of yourself. What occasionally can be seen in someone with Asperger's is that he or she talks to objects. The person knows that the subject will not say anything back (the sense of reality is not affected or similar). Some people with Asperger talk a lot to himself or use monologues. Someone with Asperger practices conversations often already in the head so that he or she knows what to expect. This is done so that the events are allready known, even before they happen. This way the individual will not be surprised.
Someone with Asperger's (and ASD in general) often has less sense of what is socially accepted. Someone with Asperger's often uses inappropriate facial expression to express his own emotions. Like other ASD disorders someone with Asperger's exepiances diffuculty keeping figurative and literal language apart. Proverbs, sayings and metaphors are often difficult to understand for someone with Asperger's, while the metaphors of someone with Asperger's are just as difficult to understand by people arround him. Someone with Asperger's has problems to empathize with someone else.
Unlike people with Classical Autism someone with Asperger's often knows how to camouflage its limitations ver well. He exploits the existing strengths. Through the use of reason and by practicing a lot, people with Asperger are able to compensate for their limitations. This allows them to interact more easily with others after puperty. This results in the problems often being underestimated.
Someone with Asperger's have need for a social life, whereas someone with Classical Autism who do not or less feel the need for a social life. Busy social events such as birthdays, festivals etc. are only exhausting experiences for someone with Aspergers. While for someone without Asperger this is just relaxing. Social situations can cause stress, uncertainty and anxiety. Negative experiences during social situations cause social situations to be more restrictive.
As someone with Asperger's struggles to recognize the feelings of others through facial expressions, eye contact or intimate physical contact he or she often seems quite self-centered and selfish. They are often more emotional than others and more susceptible to depression. In unexpected events, a person with Asperger's could retreat, exhibit flee behavior and anger, aggression, panic or crying. You can sometimes not connect with them anymore. When certain negative situations keep returning, a person with Asperger becomes distrustful, suspisious or hateful towards the non-autistic world.
Someone with Asperger's, as generally in ASD, is very rigid. Once an opinion is formed it will not easily be deviated from. It is also difficult for them to deviate from the picture in their head. When he or she thinks something will happen in a certain way, but it happens in a different way it may cause stress and panic.
Someone with Asperger's is sometimes sensitive to sounds, tastes or touch. Loud noises or strong smells, flashing lights, a continuous buzzing sound or a dripping faucet can cause anger, irritation or panic.
Filtering of sounds is very difficult for someone with Asperger's. This disallows them in a noisy situation to understand their interlocutor. When more than one conversation takes plays at a party, there is background music and the subjects of the conversations change in rapid succession this can cause irritation or confusion. On the other hand a background music can also provide a bit of predictability.
The fine motor skills of someone with Asperger's (like with PDD-NOS and McDD) are less developed. This can be recognized by a strange, almost compelling way of holding the pen. The gross motor function may be disturbed and not quite smooth. That can cause a strange and rigid way of walking. They are also described as clumsy.
People with Asperger's are often very visual and concrete thinking. That makes them real picture thinkers. All they see is allmost literally saved as photo or video.
