What is Asperger Syndrome?

Asperger’s Syndrome (Aspergers) is an Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and is often referred to as ‘High-Functioning Autism’. (Ashley 2007).  Indeed the two terms can be used interchangeably. 

In a paper written by Attwood (2009), he concluded that “research and clinical experience would suggest that there is no clear evidence that they [Asperger’s Syndrome and High-Functioning Autism] are different disorders. Their similarities are greater than their differences… At present both terms can be used interchangeably in clinical practice”.

Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is believed to result from a dysfunction in the central nervous system, affecting perceptions of and response to sensory stimuli and impairing the child’s performance in three areas:
  1. communication
  2. social skills, and
  3. flexible behaviour
(Miles 2003)

Autism is best characterized as a spectrum of disorders that vary in severity of symptoms, age of onset, and association with other disorders. The manifestations of autism vary considerably across children and within an individual child over time. There is no single behaviour that is always ‘typical’ of autism. (CBASSE 2001)

People with Aspergers are more likely to blend into everyday society than an individual who is highly Autistic.  In many cases an individual with Aspergers may never receive a diagnosis, they may simply be known as ‘eccentric’, ‘different’ or ‘odd’. 

Tony Attwood has authored many books and papers on Aspergers and is considered to be an international ‘expert’.  He states that as many as 1 in 250 people may have Aspergers and the ratio of male to female is thought to be 3:1.

Attwood commented in a recent ABC on-line interview that “Asperger’s Syndrome describes someone who is different… a person who has found something more interesting in life than socialising.  That means that the person with Asperger finds people a real challenge, [particularly], reading body language, making friends and really understanding social situations.  There are other dimensions too; a different form of learning, of perceiving the world, being very sensitive to certain sensory experiences, [e.g. noise, touch], and sometimes being … anxious.  But someone with Aspergers may have particular talents in areas like engineering or the arts”.  (Attwood 2011)


"Aspergers is at the milder end of the autism spectrum.
There is often no obvious speech delay however
there are pronounced social deficits;
the child will often be a loner who prefers their own company
and may be teased for being odd".
(Grandin & Duffy 2004)