Asperger: These are the symptoms of the developmental disorder

Asperger is an autistic development disorder. Asperger's symptoms are varied and much more pronounced in childhood than in adults. In addition, Asperger affects eight times more boys and men than girls and women.

Restricted empathy and social skills

People with Asperger often show little empathy for their fellow human beings. Dealing with others is difficult for them. It is difficult for them to understand the thoughts and feelings of their counterpart and it is difficult for them to understand facial expressions and gestures. This can be seen in the different behaviors that are typical of Asperger's:

• Both children and adults with an Asperger's developmental disorder often have few facial expressions. That means it's hard to read their feelings on their faces.
• Asperger children often find it difficult to play with their peers. Role-playing games in which they have to imagine, for example being a mother, prince or lion, are difficult for them to understand. They prefer logic games instead.
• In conversation, people with Asperger are mostly very focused on their own interests and can hardly adapt to their listeners. They usually don't notice if their counterpart is actually not interested in the topic because they cannot understand their facial expressions.
• Asperger's autistic people rarely make eye contact and often avoid social contacts in general. Because they do not understand ambiguity, tone of voice, unwritten social rules or irony, dealing with other people is very difficult for them.

Unusual special interests at Asperger

Another symptom of Asperger is unusual interests. Those affected are sometimes cared for a lifetime, but can also change from time to time. The interests are often quite unusual and people are interested in church towers, the melting point of metals or batteries. Asperger's autistic people can also be very interested in common areas such as computer science, trains or certain technical questions. For example, the well-known climate activist Greta Thunberg, who also suffers from Asperger's syndrome, is particularly interested in environmental protection.

• Asperger makes people very focused on their interests. For some, this can lead to a career in their field. They are particularly goal-oriented and can use Asperger as a particular strength.
• Asperger can also become an obstacle for others. Children with Asperger's have a hard time at school despite their average to high level of intelligence. They can only concentrate on their area of ​​interest and are hardly enthusiastic about other topics.

Asperger as a challenge and strength

In children, Asperger often shows delayed motor development. In addition, children with Asperger are clumsier and often very sensitive to certain sensations. This enables them to react more strongly to smells, loud noises or touch. At the same time, people with Asperger also have special strengths:

• People with Asperger are characterized by their loyalty, sincerity and reliability. Whatever they say is exactly what they mean, so they are very honest.
• Asperger autistic people have a high level of thinking ability and can think logically and abstractly very well.
• Asperger children usually stand out due to their complex language style and a large vocabulary at an early age. Your language development usually starts earlier than usual.

In the next article you will read about the symptoms of iron deficiency.