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Na stronie http://autism.about.com/cs/adultswithasd/a/adults_w_
asperg_3.htm
:
Adults With Asperger's
Recognizing the Signs

We've probably all read the stories about famous people who possibly had
Asperger's Syndrome, but were undiagnosed. The names mentioned range from
Albert Einstein to Thomas Jefferson. These people lived or became adults
before the diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome or high functioning autism even
existed, so no one can tell for sure if they had this condition or not, but
they shared common characteristics with adults who have been diagnosed with
Asperger's Syndrome today.

What are these common characteristics? How can a person tell if they might
be an undiagnosed Aspie, a term many Asperger's patients use to refer to
themselves? Is there help for the adult who carries an Asperger's diagnosis?
These are three questions in the minds of a large number of individuals.

The Cambridge Lifespan Asperger Syndrome Service(CLASS), an organization in
the United Kingdom that works with adult (age 18 or older) Asperger's
patients has developed a simple ten question checklist to help identify
those individuals who fit the common characteristics of Asperger's patients.


a.. I find social situations confusing.
b.. I find it hard to make small talk.
c.. I did not enjoy imaginative story-writing at school.
d.. I am good at picking up details and facts.
e.. I find it hard to work out what other people are thinking and feeling.
f.. I can focus on certain things for very long periods.
g.. People often say I was rude even when this was not intended.
h.. I have unusually strong, narrow interests.
i.. I do certain things in an inflexible, repetitive way.
j.. I have always had difficulty making friends.

Does meeting all of these descriptions mean that the individual has
undiagnosed Asperger's Syndrome? No, it simply means that they share
characteristics with others who are classified as Asperger's patients. Are
these questions diagnostic in nature? Again, the answer is No. The questions
themselves might be used to rule out Asperger's, but they do not lead to a
diagnosis. They are simply indicators of similarities.


Asperger's Adults and Forms of Help
Help for the adult with Asperger's is available in the following forms:


a.. Relevant information on Asperger's Syndrome
b.. Social support groups for the patient and his/her family
c.. Advice to employers, family members and care givers
d.. Sheltered employment opportunities if they are appropriate
e.. Social skills training to help develop necessary life skills
f.. Advice on disability benefits through public or private programs

For most adults with Asperger's, the condition is not a disability,
according to the rules that agencies such as Social Security use to
determine disability. According to Social Security's definition, a
disability must prevent ANY "substantial gainful activity (SGA)." This is
currently defined by law as income over $700 per month. Many Asperger's
individuals are able to earn more than this, not in sheltered workshop
settings, but in the nationwide economy in general. As a result, Social
Security looks at each case on an individual basis, based on such things as
the individual's ability to do work related activity. A close look at the
common characteristics listing above will show that unless they are severely
limiting to the individual, none of the characteristics would prevent some
types of gainful employment.

For the adult with Asperger's Syndrome, a strong support system, educational
and vocational training opportunities, and social skills training appear to
offer the best chance for a successful integration into society and the work
environment. Programs such as the CLASS program offer an excellent
opportunity to make this integration possible. Once this integration takes
place, the adult Asperger's patient can make a successful transition into
life's mainstream.

From the DSM-IV

According to the DSM-IV, which provides the diagnostic criteria for almost,
if not all, psychological conditions, (whether or not autism spectrum
disorders are neurological in nature or not, the diagnosis comes from the
DSM-IV) Asperger's Syndrome is diagnosed by the presence of the following
behavioral characteristics.

(A)
Qualitative impairment in social interaction, as manifested by at least two
of the following:
marked impairment in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors such as
eye-to-eye gaze, facial expression, body postures, and gestures to regulate
social interaction
failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental level a
lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interests, or achievements
with other people(e.g., by a lack of showing, bringing, or pointing out
objects of interest to other people)
lack of social or emotional reciprocity.

(B)
Restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests, and
activities, as manifested by at least one of the following:
encompassing preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and restricted
patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity or focus
apparently inflexible adherence to specific, non-functional routines or
rituals stereotyped and repetitive motor mannerisms (e.g., hand or finger
flapping or twisting, or complex whole-body movements)
persistent preoccupation with parts of objects

(C)
The disturbance causes clinically significant impairment in social,
occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

(D)
There is no clinically significant general delay in language (e.g., single
words used by age 2 years, communicative phrases used by age 3 years)

(E)
There is no clinically significant delay in cognitive development or in the
development of age-appropriate self-help skills, adaptive behavior (other
than in social interaction), and curiosity about the environment in
childhood.

(F)
Criteria are not met for another specific Pervasive Developmental Disorder
or Schizophrenia

These are the some of the same criteria needed for a diagnosis of autism,
with one major exception. Autism's criteria includes the presence of
language delays. With Asperger's Syndrome, these delays are usually not
present. As a result, the ability to work is not limited by the inability to
communicate effectively, and this makes it much harder to obtain disability
benefits.

--
Pozdrawiam
Marcin Ciesielski