Rose Byrne and Hugh Dancy star in
"Adam", a romance with a twist -
- the leading man has Asperger's syndrome.
what is asperger's syndrome?
Asperger's Syndrome, also known as Asperger's Disorder or Autistic Psychopathy, is a Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) characterized by severe and sustained impairment in social interaction, development of restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, and activities. These characteristics result in clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.
aspergers syndrome affects at least one in every two hundred and fifty people.
It is a developmental disorder and will cause difficulty in communication,
social relationships and imagination producing a lack of empathetic thought.
It does not affect intelligence and some adults with Asperger syndrome have the
capacity to form an intimate relationship, to find employment and to be accepted
within society.
To most people with whom they come into contact with they are often perceived to
not have any problems. They may to outsiders just be regarded as eccentric or
different in their ways,
and as it appears to affect more men than women, men with Asperger syndrome, may
just be referred to as men behaving like men.
It is almost inevitable that these difficulties will have a negative effect
on a couple or family relationship.
Problems may be poor communication, sexual problems, misunderstandings, social
difficulties, parenting problems, issues over control.
Plus the partner who does not have Asperger syndrome may be feeling undervalued
or not understood and often complain of a lack of emotional support.
Many couples in this situation seek Couple Counselling.
In contrast to Autistic disorder (Autism), there are no clinically significant delays in language or cognition or self help skills or in adaptive behavior, other than social interaction.
Prevalence is limited but it appears to be more common in males. Onset is later than what is seen in Autism, or at least recognized later. A large number of children are diagnosed between the ages of 5 and 9. Motor delays, clumsiness, social interaction problems, and idiosyncratic behaviors are reported. Adults with Asperger's have trouble with empathy and modulation of social interaction - the disorder follows a continuous course and is usually lifelong.
Aspergers is not easily recognizable - in fact, many children are misdiagnosed with other neurological disorders such as Tourette's Syndrome or Autism. More frequently, children are misdiagnosed with Attention Deficit (and Hyperactivity) Disorders (ADD & ADHD), Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), or Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
Such mistakes in diagnosis lead to a delay in treatment of the disorder, though many pharmaceuticals and natural remedies are used to treat multiple neurological and pervasive developmental disorders. Remedies used today range from St. John's Wort tea to drugs such as Haldol and Ritalin. Treatments vary to a great degree with the individual patient - no single medication or remedy works for everyone - therefore the syndrome cannot be completely cured.