Asperger's Syndrome

Asperger's Syndrome Today there are many different types of disabilities and syndromes. When you have a child to be diagnosed with a disability or a syndrome life can suddenly become overwhelming. This is especially true if they have been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome. Parents sometimes feel guilty because their child has a disability or syndrome. Parents may feel that they are responsible for their child's disability or syndrome. Parents may feel guilty about their child being diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome since it is a neurological disorder. This particular syndrome is not widely recognized by the general public. Since Asperger's Syndrome is not widely recognized by the general public, the public sometimes may not understand the behavior of someone who has Asperger's Syndrome. This can be a challenge for a parent who tries to explain their child's behavior to someone who has never heard of Asperger's. Parents until recently may have known their child was behaving in an unusual manner but did not where to go for help. These are just some of the challenges that parents' face when their child has Asperger's because it has some of the same characteristics as Autism. This paper will review the definition and characteristics of Asperger's Syndrome, what assessments are available to diagnose Asperger's Syndrome, and what particular children are most often diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome. Asperger's Syndrome was not made an official disorder until 1994. Asperger's was discovered by Hans Asperger in the 1940's. Asperger's Syndrome is different from autism and is under the category of Pervasive Developmental Disorders. Asperger has a long definition. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-IV of the American Psychiatric Association (cited in Klin & Volkmar, 1995) Asperger's syndrome follows the same format as autism. The definition of Asperger's syndrome actually uses autism as a reference point. Asperger's syndrome

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