Asperger’s Syndrome: What It Is and How It Affects the Mind

Officially part of the ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder), Asperger's Syndrome affects a person's ability to both interact with and socialize. It has also been able to alter their view of the world a lot, often leading to very challenging situations. Normally, those who are affected by Asperger's Syndrome are stated to have completely normal levels of both intelligence and development of their languages, but have seen increased levels of difficulty and struggle with communicating to a large social group as well as having delayed and repetitive behaviours.

The term for Asperger's was actually used much more frequently in the past, but in the year 2013, the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) added it to ASD, as the features of both of them started to overlap very frequently. India has seen a much more drastic rise in the condition as compared to other countries, with most the affected being children who have shown to display "Shyness" and distance themselves from large groups, and are often misdiagnosed as being just a simple introvert, which causes even more confusion for their future.

With the help of formulating early diagnosis for them all, their skills and abilities will also show lots of improvement, leading to their confidence being boosted and applying these skills in real life will be life-changing for a lot of them. It is also a very rare and relatively uncommon condition, only affecting 1 out of 100 children attending schools that have a very limited knowledge of various different medical conditions.

What are the key symptoms for Asperger's Syndrome? 

• The individual has a lot of difficulty keeping eye contact and reading facial expressions correctly.
• They become extremely focused on studies that they are interested in, such as trains, space, astronomy.
• They are unable to understand the concept of jokes and are unsure whether to laugh or not on social cues.
• They are particularly focused during their routine and have a hard time distracting themselves from it.

What are the causes and risk factors of Asperger's Syndrome? 

There is no current reason as to why Asperger's syndrome is caused or how it actually affects someone. A lot of research has been pointed towards it being a neurological, environmental and genetic condition that may have been passed down by your family. There have been multiple cases in India where children who were born from families with ASD, are much more likely to be at a much higher risk than those whose family do not have a history of family ASD.

There are also mothers'-to-be and women who have just given birth who may have been exposed to some very dangerous environmental factors such as pollution and toxic gas that is excreted from waste dumps where the women must have lived close to. India has been unable to properly receive the correct amount of funding required to perform a proper research project that is dedicated to specific neurodevelopmental issues that can help determine a lot of patterns that are found locally. Unfortunately for many other families who have family members suffering from Asperger's Syndrome would mostly turn to superstitions or therapies that have nothing to do with the mind, which ultimately creates a lot of tension between the family members. Providing personal therapy as well as finding very specific ways to counteract this disability will prove to be beneficial for the child's growth, as well as prenatal care and diagnosis from time to time to ensure that the child is prepared for changes to occur.

What are some common diagnostic steps to consider while dealing with Asperger's Syndrome? 

• Keeping an eye on the behaviour of the child while also learning more about the developmental history of the child while forming a plan to reduce the amount of frustration and stress they may feel later on in life.
• Next, you are required to take the affected child for a very standard yet necessary screening test questionnaire.
• Take the affected to child to a very important speech and language evaluation and assessment coordinator to finalize how much they are affected by the ability to speak in public spaces.
• Make them take an IQ and cognitive test to make note of how well their mental and cognitive functions work in common situations such as writing.

What are some very common therapies that are included for Asperger's Syndrome?

• There are therapies for individuals who find it very hard to pronounce certain words and would often stutter as well as keeping a steady pace for reciting their language.
• Occupational Therapy for children who have a very hard time trying to keep both their sensory and motor skills at a normal pace and require help in controlling them.
• Taking them to behavioral training therapy to help them overcome their need to repeat the same actions many times in a row.
• Training them to perform social acts as a means of improving their social skills as well as their overall interactions with other people.
• Allocated Parent and Teacher meetings to have a much better relationship both at their house and at their school.

How to create more awareness for Asperger's Syndrome? 

India has still a very long journey ahead in order to properly supporting as well as understanding the medical condition, which is mostly due a massive lack of awareness of the ASD condition, the very limited amount of diagnostic facilities present in the country and the societal stigma that many parents have and are very defiant against using more modern therapy sessions and instead resort to a lot of traditional setups that do not lead anywhere.

There are a few ways to let the country know about this serious medical condition

• Attempting campaigns about this condition throughout the nation.
• Screening programs that are fully provided by the government.
• Classrooms that are full of inclusivity with teachers that support the mentally affected child.
• Insurance companies that are able to provide coverage for both therapy and long-term care for the affected individual.

Conclusion 

Asperger's Syndrome is a medical condition that can have long-lasting effects on an individual's life if not taken care of at an earlier stage. The issue in India is that there are extremely limited amounts of therapies that can help this growing problem, and with many people in families that do not believe in this condition at all, it brings a massive toll to their heads, unable to understand what is happening to them and why they are unable to do anything about it.

This is why knowing beforehand what Asperger's Syndrome can do to a person is vital and requires the utmost amount of both patience and care to be provided to them without forcing them to take part in these activities and therapy sessions. Society must know how to embrace them just as they embrace the unaffected people who are living normal lives. Only then can India move forward with their plan of supporting every Indian citizen equally.

Medical Disclaimer – The information that has been written is only to be used for educational purposes. There has been no information presented by this website, be it tests, images and graphics, which should be taken as professional medical advice. Always consult with your doctor regarding any medical advice that may relate to your condition.