WHAT IS ASPERGER'S SYNDROME?
Asperger’s syndrome (AS) is one of a group of neurological disorders known as autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). AS is considered to be on the mild end of the spectrum. People with AS exhibit three primary symptoms:
Clinical condition of Asperger’s
People with Asperger’s Syndrome are particularly vulnerable to mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. However, the inability of people with Asperger’s Syndrome to communicate feelings of disturbance, anxiety or distress can also mean that it is often very difficult to diagnose a depressed or anxious state. Similarly, because of their impairment in non-verbal expression, they may not appear to be depressed. This can mean that it is not until the illness is well developed that it is recognised, with possible consequences such as total withdrawal; increased obsessional behaviour; refusal to leave the home, go to work or college, etc, and threatened, attempted or actual suicide.
Anxiety
People with Asperger’s Syndrome are particularly prone to anxiety disorders as a consequence of the social demands made upon them. Any social contact can generate anxiety as to how to start, maintain and end the activity and conversation. Changes to daily routine can exacerbate the anxiety, as can certain sensory experiences.
It is thought that a combination of factors, leading to vulnerability to stress, is likely to explain why anxiety disorders are so common in Asperger's people. Biological differences in brain structure and function, a history of social difficulties (leading to decreased self-esteem and a tendency to think of threats as greater than they are) and problems with finding flexible responses to apparent threats are all likely to contribute.
Depression
It may be especially hard for depressed people on the Autism Spectrum to seek help because they might find change daunting and anxiety-provoking, feel worried that they will be blamed, or feel unsure about how to describe their symptoms. Anxiety and depression can also make people more generally introverted, withdrawn and isolated. All people with depression may have difficulty sharing their thoughts and feelings. But because people with Asperger’s can have difficulty labelling their feelings, it can be especially hard to communicate symptoms or concerns.
Self-harm
Self-harm in Asperger’s is relatively common and is often associated with frustration and poor communication ability. There can also be a sensory element to some types of self-harm. Nonetheless, a number of individuals with Asperger’s also self-harm due to high levels of anxiety.
High pain thresholds are often reported by young girls who display self-harm on the Autism spectrum. However, there is little research evidence about the prevalence of serve, and potentially damaging, self-harm in young people with Asperger and mental health difficulties. It is possible that it may be linked to poor emotional literacy, hyper-emotional reactions and emotion processing.
How female with Asperger’s differ from male with Asperger’s?
Asperger’s symptoms in females can be more difficult to spot than those in males. The reason is that the Asperger’s symptoms manifest differently in males than females, namely they are far more pronounced and obvious in boys and men. It is almost certainly true to say that although four out of every five formal diagnoses of Asperger’s are in males, this is not a true representation of how many females are affected. The reason is that 'diagnosis' for females often fails to happen because the Asperger’s symptoms are either overlooked, misunderstood or as is often the case the sufferer is given an entirely different diagnosis.
While the core characteristics of an Asperger profile does not differ between genders, girls and women might demonstrate different outward reactions to the profile. While every girl and women with an Asperger profile is unique, many share certain experiences.
Overview of Asperger’s symptoms in females.
The first Asperger’s symptom prevalent in females is that of highly charged emotions, particularly stress and anxiety. Although any child can suffer with highly charged emotions an Asperger’s sufferer will tend to react inappropriately and will often fail to respond to calming measures such as affection and distraction. Essentially the emotional process will be extreme and will need to run its course regardless of what happens externally.
Another Asperger’s symptom in female is rigidity of thoughts and behaviours. This means that the sufferer does not cope well with variations or change. The outcome of external changes which challenge the rigidity of thoughts and behaviours often results in inappropriate highly charged emotional states.
Acute sensory awareness is another key symptom of Asperger’s in females, where the senses (touch, taste, smell, hearing, visual) can become rapidly overloaded through stimulation. For example, a pungent odour or the humming of a fan can be acutely perceived by the sufferer which quickly overwhelms their senses and results in intense emotional responses and/or the urge to escape.
Asperger’s female might work very hard to “camouflage” their social confusion and/or anxiety through strategic imitation, by escaping into nature or fantasy. For example, they might show different sides of their personality in different settings. “A girl with Asperger’s syndrome may suffer social confusion in silence and isolation in the classroom or playground but she may be a different character at home, the ‘mask’ is removed (Attwood et al. 2006)”. At home, they might be more prone to releasing their bottled-up emotions through meltdowns.
Overview of Asperger’s symptoms in males.
Whilst Asperger’s symptoms in boys are reflective of those in girls, the impact and consequences can be different. Males with Asperger’s will exhibit more behavioural traits associated with Asperger’s, for example:
Group intervention
Through structured explanations, games and activities in a group setting, young teenagers learn the necessary skills to help them make friends, assert themselves and stand up to bullying. By building their confidence, young teenagers experience reduced anxiety, enhanced self-esteem and self-awareness. The groups are a safe place for the teenagers to ‘test the waters’, to take risks and to say and do things that might not be socially ‘typical’. We moderate their communication and social behaviour by helping them to accept each other’s strengths and weaknesses and to value their difference.
One-to-one intervention
Therapy helps teenagers work through the triggers that contribute to negative thought patterns and learn positive coping skills to use instead of engaging in self-harm behaviours. Treatment options can include:
- Having difficulty with social interaction
- Engaging in repetitive behavior
- Inability to return social or emotional feelings
- Not seeking to share enjoyment, interests, or achievements with others
- Failure to develop and maintain peer relationships
- Unusually sensitive to sensory aspects of the environment
Clinical condition of Asperger’s
People with Asperger’s Syndrome are particularly vulnerable to mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. However, the inability of people with Asperger’s Syndrome to communicate feelings of disturbance, anxiety or distress can also mean that it is often very difficult to diagnose a depressed or anxious state. Similarly, because of their impairment in non-verbal expression, they may not appear to be depressed. This can mean that it is not until the illness is well developed that it is recognised, with possible consequences such as total withdrawal; increased obsessional behaviour; refusal to leave the home, go to work or college, etc, and threatened, attempted or actual suicide.
Anxiety
People with Asperger’s Syndrome are particularly prone to anxiety disorders as a consequence of the social demands made upon them. Any social contact can generate anxiety as to how to start, maintain and end the activity and conversation. Changes to daily routine can exacerbate the anxiety, as can certain sensory experiences.
It is thought that a combination of factors, leading to vulnerability to stress, is likely to explain why anxiety disorders are so common in Asperger's people. Biological differences in brain structure and function, a history of social difficulties (leading to decreased self-esteem and a tendency to think of threats as greater than they are) and problems with finding flexible responses to apparent threats are all likely to contribute.
Depression
It may be especially hard for depressed people on the Autism Spectrum to seek help because they might find change daunting and anxiety-provoking, feel worried that they will be blamed, or feel unsure about how to describe their symptoms. Anxiety and depression can also make people more generally introverted, withdrawn and isolated. All people with depression may have difficulty sharing their thoughts and feelings. But because people with Asperger’s can have difficulty labelling their feelings, it can be especially hard to communicate symptoms or concerns.
Self-harm
Self-harm in Asperger’s is relatively common and is often associated with frustration and poor communication ability. There can also be a sensory element to some types of self-harm. Nonetheless, a number of individuals with Asperger’s also self-harm due to high levels of anxiety.
High pain thresholds are often reported by young girls who display self-harm on the Autism spectrum. However, there is little research evidence about the prevalence of serve, and potentially damaging, self-harm in young people with Asperger and mental health difficulties. It is possible that it may be linked to poor emotional literacy, hyper-emotional reactions and emotion processing.
How female with Asperger’s differ from male with Asperger’s?
Asperger’s symptoms in females can be more difficult to spot than those in males. The reason is that the Asperger’s symptoms manifest differently in males than females, namely they are far more pronounced and obvious in boys and men. It is almost certainly true to say that although four out of every five formal diagnoses of Asperger’s are in males, this is not a true representation of how many females are affected. The reason is that 'diagnosis' for females often fails to happen because the Asperger’s symptoms are either overlooked, misunderstood or as is often the case the sufferer is given an entirely different diagnosis.
While the core characteristics of an Asperger profile does not differ between genders, girls and women might demonstrate different outward reactions to the profile. While every girl and women with an Asperger profile is unique, many share certain experiences.
Overview of Asperger’s symptoms in females.
The first Asperger’s symptom prevalent in females is that of highly charged emotions, particularly stress and anxiety. Although any child can suffer with highly charged emotions an Asperger’s sufferer will tend to react inappropriately and will often fail to respond to calming measures such as affection and distraction. Essentially the emotional process will be extreme and will need to run its course regardless of what happens externally.
Another Asperger’s symptom in female is rigidity of thoughts and behaviours. This means that the sufferer does not cope well with variations or change. The outcome of external changes which challenge the rigidity of thoughts and behaviours often results in inappropriate highly charged emotional states.
Acute sensory awareness is another key symptom of Asperger’s in females, where the senses (touch, taste, smell, hearing, visual) can become rapidly overloaded through stimulation. For example, a pungent odour or the humming of a fan can be acutely perceived by the sufferer which quickly overwhelms their senses and results in intense emotional responses and/or the urge to escape.
Asperger’s female might work very hard to “camouflage” their social confusion and/or anxiety through strategic imitation, by escaping into nature or fantasy. For example, they might show different sides of their personality in different settings. “A girl with Asperger’s syndrome may suffer social confusion in silence and isolation in the classroom or playground but she may be a different character at home, the ‘mask’ is removed (Attwood et al. 2006)”. At home, they might be more prone to releasing their bottled-up emotions through meltdowns.
Overview of Asperger’s symptoms in males.
Whilst Asperger’s symptoms in boys are reflective of those in girls, the impact and consequences can be different. Males with Asperger’s will exhibit more behavioural traits associated with Asperger’s, for example:
- Repetitive movements (e.g., jumping, rocking, pacing) and speech (i.e., talking about favourite topics, interest)
- Inappropriate behaviour given the social situation (e.g., speaking too loud in place of worship)
- Exaggerated emotional response to situations (e.g., tantrums when asked to something that they don’t want to do)
Group intervention
Through structured explanations, games and activities in a group setting, young teenagers learn the necessary skills to help them make friends, assert themselves and stand up to bullying. By building their confidence, young teenagers experience reduced anxiety, enhanced self-esteem and self-awareness. The groups are a safe place for the teenagers to ‘test the waters’, to take risks and to say and do things that might not be socially ‘typical’. We moderate their communication and social behaviour by helping them to accept each other’s strengths and weaknesses and to value their difference.
One-to-one intervention
Therapy helps teenagers work through the triggers that contribute to negative thought patterns and learn positive coping skills to use instead of engaging in self-harm behaviours. Treatment options can include:
- Family therapy to explore triggers in the home and how parents and teens can improve communication patterns and help develop better coping skills for dealing with the stress at home.
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to challenge negative and distressing thoughts, recognize the pattern of negative thinking, and learn replacement strategies.
