The triad of impairments
The whole spectrum is defined by the presence of impairments affecting social interaction, communication and imagination. This is known as the triad of impairments. This is always accompanied by a narrow repetitive range of activities.
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Social interaction
Problems engaging in reciprocal social interactions
A severely affected individual will seem aloof and uninterested in people where someone less affected (but still affected) passively accepts social contact, even showing some pleasure in it, though he/she does not make spontaneous approaches. -
Social communication
A lack of appreciation of the social uses and the pleasure of communication is always present in some form or other
A significant proportion of people with classic autism fail to develop useful speech. If language is used, there is a failure to understand that it is a tool for conveying information to others. Some ask for their own needs but have difficulty in talking about feelings or thoughts and in understanding the emotions, ideas and beliefs of other people. -
Social imagination
Inability to play imaginatively with objects or toys or other children/adults
Pretend play can be absent or repetitive. A tendency to select for attention minor or trivial aspects of things in the environment instead of an imaginative understanding of the meaning of the whole scene is often found. Some imaginative activities may be displayed but these are usually copied, for example from TV programmes. This play may seem complex, but careful observation shows its rigidity and stereotyped nature.
SIGNS OF ASPERGER SYNDROME.
Every person in the world will have a few of these signs. It is when a person has a lot of them, and also when the intensity of the symptoms is more extreme than in the average person, that there may be cause for concern. Each person who has Asperger Syndrome is also an individual, and may not have exactly the same profile of characteristics as another. Every possible symptom of Asperger Syndrome is not listed here.
- Difficulty making friends and in general social interaction.
- Difficulty understanding non-verbal social cues such as facial expressions and body language.
- Communication difficulties, e.g. not understanding the mechanics of a conversation situation.
- May be either withdrawn, or makes over-eager, inappropriate approaches to others.
- Difficulty understanding that others may have thoughts or feelings different from one’s own.
- Obsessive focus on narrow interests, e.g. train timetables, or obsessively collecting items.
- Awkward or clumsy motor skills, co-ordination or balance difficulties.
- Over-sensitivity to sudden noises, and/or other sensory inputs, e.g. textures.
- Eye contact may be lacking or unusual, e.g. staring.
- Inflexibility about routine, especially when changes occur spontaneously.
- Odd quality to voice, e.g. monotone.
- Problems with understanding idiomatic expressions, i.e. taking things literally.
- Difficulty with multi-tasking, or in coping with more than one significant issue.
- Difficulty in thinking or performing under pressure.
- Tendency to be able to deal with only one sensory channel at once, e.g. seeing OR hearing, not both.
- Tendency to be overly sensitive to criticism, failure, and humiliation.
- Easily bullied, manipulated, tricked or taken advantage of by others.
- May be highly intelligent, but lacking in “common sense.”
- Intelligence tends to be very uneven, with one or two areas of talent, and other areas of marked inability.
- High anxiety levels may be an almost constant feature for some individuals.
