About Asperger syndrome

Asperger Syndrome is a pervasive developmental disorder on the higher-functioning end of the autism spectrum. It is not a psychiatric condition, and it certainly isn't a mental illness. Neither is it a learning disability. While Asperger syndrome can affect individuals in different ways, people with the condition tend to have normal to very superior intelligence and excellent rote memory, but may also have:

• Problems with social interaction and interpreting social cues
• Difficulty making conversation and engaging in small talk
• Obsessions about special interests
• Repetitive behaviors

Asperger syndrome is named after Hans Asperger, a pediatrician who lived and worked in Vienna during the mid 20th century. He published a paper about Asperger syndrome (in German) towards the end of World War II. Although Asperger syndrome was known about in German speaking countries during the post war era, it remained virtually unknown to British psychologists until 1991 when Hans Asperger's articles on the subject were translated into English. In 1995 Asperger syndrome became an officially recognised medical condition in the UK.

Because Asperger syndrome is such a recently recognised condition, many employers including those in engineering and IT have yet to get round to even encountering the term. At the moment, very few organisations have somebody in occupational health, human resources, or management who has a reasonably good understanding of the condition.

It is possible to be officially diagnosed as having Asperger syndrome, but only a tiny fraction of officially diagnosed people were born before 1988, meaning that most of them have yet to enter the workforce. This is because very few Asperger syndrome diagnostics centres cater for people over the age of 16. Many officially diagnosed people have had their diagnosis performed via referrals from educational psychologists working in the state school system. Getting a diagnosis on the NHS is extremely difficult because of lack of facilities. Most General Practitioners and NHS psychologists do not understand Asperger syndrome, and have never studied the subject.

A high proportion of research and the provision of services for people with Asperger syndrome focuses on children rather than adults, but it is very important to note that Asperger syndrome is not a childhood condition that one grows out of with age. A good analogy is that a person with Asperger syndrome is stuck with the condition for life in the same way as the colour of their eyes. 

Certain concepts of Asperger syndrome are tricky to grasp unless one has first hand experience of dealing with somebody with the condition. One of the best sources of information about Asperger syndrome is Tony Attwood's latest book which is regarded as the standard text on the subject. This book describes Asperger syndrome comprehensively in an easy to understand format, and is intended for people with no previous knowledge of psychology including parents, teachers, managers, and interviewers.

Legal issues

In the UK, Asperger syndrome legally classes as a disability. Discrimination against a person with Asperger syndrome (regardless of whether they are offiicially diagnosed or not) is unlawful under the Disability Discrimination Act.