When we talk about autism spectrum disorders (Autism Spectrum disorder, ASD, APA 2013) often some incorrect common places are detected. For example, “it cannot be autistic because it experiences emotions” or “it cannot be Asperger because it is too empathic”.
These types of convictions strengthen a stigma that certainly does not help to fully understand the variability of the autistic spectrum. The neurosviluppo varies in a complex way from a person and person in terms of functionality, adaptation and intellectual disability, if they are present. There Asperger syndrome It is just one of the spectrum disorders with some specific characteristics.
Symptoms of Asperger and autistic spectrum disorders
The diagnostic criteria listed in the Diagnostic Statistic Manual 5 (DSM 5, 2013) are:
- Persistent deficit in social communication and social interaction In different contexts, not explained through a generalized delay of development, and which manifest itself through:
- Difficulty in socio-emotional reciprocity: an abnormal social approach and difficulty in conversation and/or reduced interests, emotions and affections and/or a lack of initiative in social interaction.
- Deficit in non -verbal communication behaviors used for social interaction, ranging from a poor integration of verbal and non -verbal communication, or an abnormality in eye contact and body language, or deficit in understanding and using non -verbal communication, up to the total lack of facial expressiveness and gestures.
- Difficulty in the development and maintenance of appropriate relationships at the level of development (not including those with parents and caregivers): difficulty in regulating behavior compared to the different social contexts and/or difficulty in sharing the imaginative game and in making friendships and/or apparent lack of interest for people.
- Behaviors and/or interests and/or restricted and repetitive activities as shown by at least 2 of the following points:
- Language and/or motor movements and/or use of objects, stereotyped and/or repetitive: as simple motor stereotypies, ecolalia, repetitive use of objects, idiosyncratic phrases.
- Excessive adherence to the routine, verbal or non -verbal behaviors reused and/or excessive resistance to change (motor rituals, insistence in making the same road or eating the same food daily, incessant questions or discussions or extreme stress following small changes).
- Fixation in highly restricted interests with intensity or anomalous attention: strong attachment or concern for unusual objects, excessively persevering or detailed interests.
- Hyper-reactivity and/or hypo-reactivity to sensory stimuli or unusual interests compared to certain aspects of the environment: apparent indifference to the heat/cold/pain, adverse response to specific sounds or fabrics, excessive to smell or touch objects, fascination towards lights or moving objects.
- The symptoms must be present in the early childhood (but they may not become completely manifest until the social demand exceeds the limit of skills).
- The set of symptoms must compromise daily operation.
- These alterations are not better explained by intellectual disability or global development delay. The intellectual disability and the spectrum of autism’s spectrum are often present in conjunction.
Characteristics and causes of autism and asperger
In males the Autistic spectrum disorderincluding the Asperger syndromeseems to occur four times more than in females and clinically in the latter it seems to be more associated with intellectual disabilities.
Currently there is not yet a shared agreement on what the specific causes of autism are. Scholars agree in supporting the etiopathogenetic hypothesis in favor of multifactorial mechanisms. Or the interaction of genetic and environmental factors, as well as other biological variables.
Finally, although the vaccine-autism issue is rather controversial, the literature on the subject detects how autistic spectrum disorders are not more present in the population of children who have made the vaccine compared to those who have not received it. Ultimately there is no scientific evidence aimed at supporting this report.
Autistic spectrum disorders are represented within the DSM-5 as a single diagnostic category that includes the Autistic disorderthe Asperger syndrome and the disintegram disorder of childhood but without differentiation as in the DSM IV.
What is necessary to distinguish in this new perspective is the autistic spectrum from a typical development condition and other disorders not attributable to the spectrum. Despite the conceptualization of a single diagnostic category, there are different and heterogeneous clinical manifestations of the spectrum variables from person to person and with different degrees of gravity. In some cases, intellectual disability or language may be there.
The concept of Asperger syndrome
There Asperger syndromethus defined in DSM IV, it is no longer present in DSM 5. However, at a clinical level it can still serve to distinguish in the forms of mild autism those characteristics that have long been associated with this label and activate the resources necessary to intervene specificly.
The autistic spectrum is therefore a set of conditions associated with atypical development. This spectrum can be diagnosed through an assessment of clinical manifestations on a behavioral level, but there is no specific neurological examination.
As demonstrated by various international studies, the one that characterizes the autism spectrum disorders is in dimensional terms the different levels of autism and ways of manifesting itself according to gravity and, in terms of continuity, the placement of the same along an axis of neurotypical-neurodiversity in which the “autistic traits” can be considered uniformly distributed in the general population as well as clinic.
The autistic spectrum
The term neurotypical means all those who have a typical neurological organization and do not fall into the autistic spectrum. Use the term neurodiversity on the other hand, it is to be attributed to autism, but does not equate disability because there are non -pathological autistic manifestations.
Frame theautism and theAsperger In neurotypical terms it means considering for example the wide diversity at a sensory level present in the autistic spectrum. Numerous studies, even among the most recent, detect superior sensory perceptual differences. For example, they can show a more marked sensitivity for specific sounds, for light, for some smells or tastes or for the consistency of some foods, but there may also be a peculiar tactile sensitivity.
Generally, there are perceptual differences compared to intensity and direct attention to certain stimuli, but also a specific sensitivity in the perception of one’s body and the motor component.
Emotions, empathy and autistic spectrum
There are emotional differences in the understanding and expression of one’s emotions, in their modulation based on the context and in interpreting the emotions of others depending on the expressiveness of the body.
However, this does not mean that they do not feel emotions. Sometimes they can experience in certain situations different emotions than expectations and context such as feeling fear compared to a surprise or agitation or anger for an affectionate gesture such as a kiss or hug. This depends on a sensory hypersensitivity to the touch that can be present in some, or to the difficulty in understanding its social meaning.
They can express affection sometimes not appropriate to the context, and are able to experiment with empathy. Finally, they are found to be traced at cognitive level, especially in the flexibility of thought, in cognitive style, in memory and in the restricted and repetitive interests. Interests can be atypical or unusual and are carried out with perseverance and intensity.
The attention paid to certain interests can be totalizing and for this reason we are talking about hyperfocus. The person is thus completely absorbed while it is focused on the specific interest and can show little flexibility. Interest often constitute a way to relax or in any case a source of pleasure. In addition, it can allow you to acquire a high mastery of certain skills and in some cases it can be spent in work.
Historic Excursus on Autism and Asperger Syndrome
Historically two conditions have distinguished themselves mainly, the condition of classic autism o Kanner’s autism and the Asperger syndrome.
THE’classic autism It is characterized by the presence of most of the symptoms of the autistic spectrum with a delay in language (they do not speak before the 3 years of life). About 50% of people with autistic operation have mental retardation of variable intensity and a greater presence of motor stereotypies and repetition of words without an apparent meaning (ecolalia).
Although used with caution, in common language two forms of autism are described, with low operation if a mental retardation and at high functioning in case there is no.
Asperger symptoms
There Asperger syndrome It manifests itself with an intelligence in the norm or higher. Sometimes it can be more difficult to recognize its characteristics than classic autism due to the presence of greater adaptation or greater functionality. However, however, difficulties in understanding the mind of others may occur, in the expression of one’s emotions in a contextual and socially appropriate way.
There are often hyper-sensitivity to lights, noise, olfactory and tactiles and sometimes peculiarity in the movements and in the use of space such as to appear clumsy. For example, there may be difficulty in motor coordination and in the use of some objects or means. They can use language in a very pragmatic way and have for this difficulty understanding for example the jokes, despite having good linguistic skills.
Interests and activities
Particular and repetitive interests that can be carried out daily are found in the same way. In some of these interests or in some activities they can be particularly gifted and skilled to focus selectively on one thing. There may be an interest in sharing activities with others or in any case participate, but not knowing how to do it or how to get it.
Affectivity
Sometimes I can tend to express their affection for others by doing things for them rather than communicating it with words or they can believe that it is enough to say a single time without it is necessary to continue repeating it or showing it.
Social isolation
It is possible that they feel “aliens” and this can worsen the mood by feeding anxiety or depression. Secondary depression is often related to social insulation levels or the possibility of being Bullying victimto the poor quality of life from an emotional and working point of view and the reduced presence of efficient services in the area.
Some may have a higher intelligence, however this does not improve social difficulties, which for some studies even seem to worsen, as the levels of intelligence increases.
Face Asperger and autistic spectrum disorders
Despite talking about difficulties of various types or differences in filtering the information that comes from the surrounding context, it is good to consider autism and Asperger development conditions. In this sense, it is appropriate to try to understand this functioning and look at the world with their eyes in order to help them give meaning to what surrounds them and give a name to their experience so as to learn to share the meaning they give to it with others.
Bibliography
- APA (American Psychiatric Association) (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5
