The real score on Asperger Disease

Asperger disease, or medically termed as Asperger syndrome is one of the uncommon conditions that affects mainly the person’s neurobiological state and processes.

This condition is usually characterized by am impairment in social interaction and communication skill, as well as the manifestation of repetitive behaviors that is similar to a certain type of personality disorder, called obsessive-compulsive personality disorder.

Although this disease is quite rare, and many people around the globe are quite unfamiliar about this topic, it is very important that it will also be given due attention because the person who is affected by this kind of condition will usually suffer from social stereotyping and social isolation in his community.

So what are the most common misconceptions that persons usually tagged on Asperger Disease? Below are some of the fallaciously acclaimed facts about this condition:

It is caused mainly by genetic influences.

This statement is false. Although there may have been factors that could trigger the syndrome to proliferate, the exact cause of this condition is unknown. Research has failed to link genetic factors as the cause of the disease, and therefore there is no direct influence for genetic materials in the development of this condition.

There have been theories proposed to describe the cause of the disease, but most of them are just predisposing or precipitating factors and not a direct cause for the condition. This includes unhealthy diet and poor nutrition of the mother during pregnancy, and infection.

The child having this condition has poor learning skills.

This one is also incorrect. Although the child having Asperger syndrome has been diagnosed to have imperfections in the brain structure, his cognitive abilities is not directly affected. In fact, there have been recorded cases of children with Asperger’s who performs better in school than their normal classmates.

The skill that is affected greatly in this condition is the person’s communication and socialization skills. The child may have difficulty in his motor ability to speak (not sensory), but he can understand the message being imparted to him. Socialization skills, on the other hand, are affected because the child will usually isolate himself from the rest and play on his own. He has a difficulty interacting with others, such as engaging in parallel play or sharing his toys with other children.

The child with Asperger Disease can be Autistic.

This is true, although not for all instances. A child who has been diagnosed of having this condition would less likely to become autistic when early diagnosis and therapy have been initiated. But for a child who was not diagnosed beforehand of having Asperger syndrome, his mild condition can lead to a more serious case of Autism if therapy is not started early.

The best treatments for Asperger Syndrome are Drugs.

The best treatment for this condition is not usually pharmacological agents, but more on psychological therapy. It is best that the child diagnosed with this condition will be subjected for therapy in the psychiatric unit. The psychiatrist will usually initiate behavioral treatments, such as group therapy, and speech therapy.

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The perfect treatment for the Asperger’s disorder deals with therapies that take care of the three major symptoms of the disorder such as poor communication skills, repetitive routines and lack of physical enthusiasm.

There is no single treatment that has proven to work best for children with Asperger’s, however an early diagnosis can surely help.

The effective treatment program involves the child’s interest and presents a workable schedule in addition to teaching tasks as a series of simple steps.

The program successfully engages the child’s attention on structured activities and provides regular improvement in the behaviour patterns.

Such a program mainly includes:

A group therapy for social skills training and teaches the child to communicate more effectively with other children of the same age group.

Cognitive therapy, also referred as the talk therapy that can help the anxious or hyperactive children to control their emotions and cut back on their obsessive interests.

Proper medications for other conditions such as depression and anxiety.

Occupational therapy for children with poor motor coordination.

Speech therapy that helps the children to identify the pitch, tone, accent and assists them in understanding the meaning of all that’s being communicated to them.

Parent training and support activities that educate parents on the behaviour patterns so that they can relate to their child in a better way.

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