A form of autism that causes impairment of social interaction (the predominant feature of the disorder). The other features are listed below:
- Restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests and activities
- Causes clinically significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning
- No clinically significant general delay in language
- No clinically significant delay in cognitive delay in cognitive development or in the development of age-appropriate self-help skills, adaptive behavior (other than social interaction), and curiousity about the environment in childhood
- Criteria are not met for another specific pervasive Developmental Disorder or Schizophrenia
Asperger's Syndrome & Me
For most of my life I wondered why everyone treated me differently while what I was doing what I believed to be normal. However, everyone would get on my case, although I couldn't see what was bothering them. I could see their anger and resentment, never anything positive about them. I always hated being accused of doing something bad because I believed that didn't occur. It looked more like a figment of their imagination running amok.
This prompted me to write about other people's strange behavior towards me. I remember a phone conversation when a person told me a law that started in 1975 and I causually remarked that I was ten years old that year and enjoyed listening to KC & the Sunshine Band a lot. He became furious and demanded to talk to my supervisor. Another time a caller informed me that he didn't have a bank account and I remarked, "Everyone has a bank account." He screamed at me while I thought I was just expressing my opinion under the First Amendment. I never intended to offend anyone while I was talking to them, but that was their reaction towards me.
On a few occasions in my life did I misbehave on purpose out of anger, but others believed I did it anyway regardless of what I was feeling at that time. Some have the impression that I am a rude person. Of course that isn't true. However, I did have a very bad temper that could be easily set off whenever I was under extreme pressure. My chest and stomach were in pain while other people took delight in harassing me endlessly like it was their favorite sport to see me explode. I thought the stress what going to tear my body apart. This was before I found out about sensory dysfunction, which is a trait of Asperger's Syndrome (AS). To relieve that, I ended up yelling at and fighting family members, schoolmates and friends (at least that's what I thought friends were) constantly. They always had an accusation that I did something wrong. I figured they made it up or they were simply crazy and making things up on the spot.
