Hey there again, tiktakers! We know you like discovering new things about the human body,
as well as syndromes and disorders which can affect us.
So, today we want to talk about Asperger's Syndrome.
Surely many of you have heard about it. This disorder has been studied
pretty thoroughly in recent years, and more people are being diagnosed with this syndrome
each year. However, do you know exactly what are the symptoms of Asperger's Syndrome?
This syndrome is a disorder which affects the development of neurons in the brain.
Basically, the brain of someone who suffers from Asperger's syndrome works differently
than a normal brain, specially in everything related to social interaction and communication.
In practice, those who suffer form this syndrome struggle with understanding gestures,
facial expressions, and subtle messages we express through non-verbal communication.
And they can talk coherently about a topic for a long time, but have issues recognizing when
the conversation has ended. They also tend to be very literal, and can struggle understanding
things that other people can understand much more easily, such as jokes and sarcasm.
For more than one, Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory comes to mind.
This disorder received this name because in 1943, an Austrian physicist named Hans
Asperger published a report where he talked about children with normal intelligence and
language development, but who struggled interacting and communicating socially.
And so tiktakers, people who suffer from Asperger's Syndrome usually have fluent speech,
and can have a normal, and even a superior, intellectual capacity
That is the main difference they have with people who suffer from autism. And throughout the years,
it has been debated whether Asperger's Syndrome should be classified among the other disorders
in the autism spectrum, although nowadays it's much more accepted to classify it as so.
Either way, this is something that it's being studied constantly, and what's important is
to identify each syndrome correctly, so that the right diagnosis can be done beforehand,
and people can receive the proper attention they need.
Surely many of you are asking yourselves how people with Asperger's Syndrome actually
socialize. And well… it's complicated tiktakers, specially because it's difficult for them to
understand and apply many unwritten social rules we all follow almost automatically.
Because of that they can sometimes behave inappropriately, even if they don't mean to
bother anyone. They usually do want to socialize and connect with others, but struggle doing so.
Their difficulty in perceiving emotions and expressions in other people
sometimes gives the impression that they don't want to connect with others,
but the truth is that they either struggle recognizing them,
or are unable to. The same thing happens with their own feelings, where many times they don't
find the right way to express them, and so we get the impression that they are overreacting.
After many years of study, it is believed that the way of thinking of someone who suffers from
Asperger's Syndrome is particularly rigid: They are usually good in mechanical and repetitive
activities, but have difficulties with tasks which require more flexibility, or where they
have to find alternative solutions to problems. Routines tend to help them find a good balance,
and their tastes tend to be very specific. They also tend to obsess about a particular topic,
a way of moving, or a particular expression. Moreover, particular noises,
lights or smells can be annoying to them, specially when these are intense or unexpected.
What we can do with all this information tiktakers, is trying to put ourselves
in the shoes of those who suffer from this syndrome. And with empathy and understanding,
we can make socialization easier for them. By using direct language, and explaining
things which seem obvious to us, we can make it easier for them to interact and connect with us.
And finally, we can also ask them directly what are the best ways to help them out.
So, if any of you suffers from Asperger's Syndrome, you have our full support!