Prepared by Joanne Fritz, C.S.W. 1. Asperger Syndrome Asperger Syndrome is a developmental disorder that severely impairs an individual's social interaction and creates unusual patterns of behavior.
Some individuals exhibit characteristics that are similar to autism, but without mental retardation.
The characteristics of Asperger Syndrome commonly include an inability to feel empathy, one-sided social interaction that is inappropriate and often results in social isolation, poor nonverbal communication and inappropriate verbal communication. Individuals with this disorder tend both to be highly distractible and to have trouble focusing their attention. These are chronic characteristics that appear early in childhood and do not have other physical, mental or emotional causes. The diagnosis needs to be made by a mental health professional who is knowledgeable about ADD in order to rule out disorders that have similar characteristics. Autism Autism is a disorder of communication and behavior which is bio-neurologically caused.