Aspergers Disorder - Research Paper Example

Asperger’s Disorder Abstract The essay aims to address a two-fold objective to wit: (1) to write a short summary of the diagnosis of Asperger’s disorder; and (2) to provide understandingof psychodynamic, behavioral, biological, and interactional causes of behaviors related to Asperger’s disease. Furthermore, this essay also describes the effectivity of a particular treatment for Asperger’s disorder and the list of resources available to Asperger individuals. Asperger’s Disorder Diagnosis Asperger’s disorder is a pervasive developmental disorder that alters a child’s development in terms of communication, socialization, behavior, thinking, and activities (Ashley, 2007, p. 2). A child can be diagnosed with Asperger disorder as early as two years old provided that the child meets the criteria made by the American Psychiatric Association to diagnosed Asperger disorder and differentiate it from autism. The American Psychiatric Association (2000) established the DSM-IV-TR Diagnostic Criteria for Asperger’s disorder and according to this guideline, a child has Asperger disorder if there are at least two manifestations of impairment in social interaction, one repetitive and stereotyped behavior, impairment in social, occupational, and life functions, lack of delay in language, lack of delay in cognitive development, and other criteria does not met other specific pervasive developmental disorder or schizophrenia (p. 84). Studies made by Campbell (2005) reviewed the five rating scales use to diagnose Asperger’s disorder and differentiate it from autism. The five rating scales include the Asperger Syndrome Diagnostic Scale (ASDS), Gilliam Asperger’s Disorder Scale (GADS), Krug Asperger’s Disorder Index (KADI), Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaires (ASSQ), and the Childhood Asperger’s Screening Test (CAST) (p. 26). Campbell found out that the diagnosis of Asperger’s disorder lacks distinct, satisfying diagnostic criteria and that the rating scales showed significant limitations. In addition to the five diagnostic rating scales, a child being suspected with Asperger’s disorder should undergo a medical examination, psychological evaluation, intellectual, speech, and language assessment, learning disorders evaluation, neurological examination, and neuropsychological testing (Ashley, 2007, p. 30) Whether health professionals used the DSM-IV –TR criteria or the rating scales, it is important that parents seek help from as soon as they begin to suspect that their child might be suffering from Asperger’s disorder. Psychodynamic Understanding In order to understand Asperger’s disorder, one must analyze the psychodynamic forces(mind, personality, and psyche) affecting the development of an Asperger child. These usually focus on the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral understanding of Asperger’s disorder. The majority of difficulty an Asperger child has originates from problems in thinking (Ashley, 2007, p. 7). You will see the strong adherence for rules and perfectionism of Asperger children but fails to see other people’s perspectives and feel others emotions. Most people with Asperger disorder are self-centered and lack empathy, unable to control emotions, and find it difficult to understand the feelings of others. The cognitive and emotional forces affect the behavior exhibited by Asperger people. To control emotions and avoid anxiety, these people cling on repetitive routines, behaviors, and movements that later on, will cause alterations in behavior and peer relationships. Behavioral Understanding A child with Asperger’s disorder has repetitive routines, behaviors, and movements. Anxiety is provoked among children with Asperger’s disorder during changes in the environment. That is why having a routine helps a child with Asperger’s disorder reduced anxiety. Among of the behavioral manifestations of inability to adapt to the changes in environment are tantrums, refusal to cooperate, and aggression (Ashley, 2007, p. 9). There are gestures an Asperger child does that seems odd and senseless from other people. Aside from the reason that these activities ease anxiety, it also explains the neurocognitive response of an Asperger child that does not understand how the world works or what people do (Moustakas, 2010, n.p.). Biological Understanding The biological understanding of Asperger disorder was linked to the proposed mesolimbic model of autism made by Damasio and Maurier in 1978 and the demonstration made by Bachevalier stating that deficits in social reciprocity and increased in circumscribed behaviors in nonhuman primates occur in infants who had their amygdalo-hyppocampal reflexes been lesioned. The amygdala is essential in the neuroimaging and neuropathological studies of Asperger’s disorder, autism and bipolar disorder because it is the critical component of the limbic of affective loop in the brain. Asperger’s disorder affects the amygdala, limbic system, and right side of the brain – the same affectations seen in people with bipolar disorder (Frazier, Doyle, Chiu & Coyle, p. 2002, p. 19). Asperger’s disorder has familial predisposition. Asperger’s were found to be more common in biological relatives than the non-biological relatives (Frazier, Doyle, Chiu & Coyle, p. 2002, p. 17). Despite the observed genetic and biological tendencies of Asperger disorder, future researches should focus on the role of genetics to Asperger’s disorder. Interactional Understanding Children with Asperger’s disorder have difficulty in interacting and sustaining relationships. They prefer to be alone having no sense of interest interacting with other people. They are unaware of their behavior and neither does get influence by others. A child with Asperger’s disorder does not converse and respond on a topic, uninterested in other people as well as on others achievements, does not engage in a normal eye contact, in understanding body language, and in reading social cues, and lacks empathy for other people (Ashley, 2007, p. 6). Interactional Treatment One of the interactional treatments used in treating Asperger’s disorder is the narrative therapy, a form of psychotherapy. Narrative therapy involves the interaction with the patient in order to modify perceptions of one’s self and the world they live in. This therapy focuses on a specific problem that alters everyday living and thus, promotes social adaptation (Cashin, 2008, p. 51). Narrative seems incongruent in children with autism and Asperger’s disorder but studies revealed that the tools used in narrative therapy had provided the successful platform for changing the approach in psychotherapy(Cashin, 2008, p. 51).In fact, narrative therapy usually leads to family therapy and psychoeducation, and often involved in treating autism and Asperger. Narrative therapy does not only focus on the interaction between the trained professional and the patient but also on acknowledging the individuality of each patient in the social context. Resources With the increasing number of children being diagnosed and affected with Asperger’s disorder, the number of support groups also dramatically increases. One of these support groups is the Asperger’s Syndrome Coalition of the United States. This support group is a non-profit organization that advocates for people with Asperger disorder and other pervasive developmental disorders. This group also provides the most updated and comprehensive information on Asperger disorder through on-line publishing. The updated information is published in their website at http://www.aspergers.com. Aside from information about Asperger disorder, the group also offered lists of U.S. specialists, bibliography, and links to Asperger disorder (Turkington& Harris, 2006, p. 251). People with Asperger’s disorder are unable to sustain relationship, making them unable to interact, socialize, and build a team in a work force arena. Through Aspiritech, individuals with Asperger disorder were given the chance to join the working community while managing their disorder. Aspiritech is a non-profit organization. They hire individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome and High Functioning Autism to perform software testing for client companies (Aspiritech, 2011, n.p.). References American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Disorders Usually First Diagnosed in Infancy, Childhood, or Adolescence. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4thed.) (p. 39-134) Virginia: American Psychiatric Association. Ashley, S. (2007). The ABCs of Asperger’s Disorder. The Asperger’s Answer Book: Professional Answers to 275 of the Top Questions Parents Ask (p. 1-26) Illinois: Sourcebooks, Inc. Aspiritech. (2011). Aspiritech. In Software Testing Harnessing the Power of Asperger's Syndrome and HFA. Retrieved June 13, 2011, from http://www.aspiritech.org/. Campbell, J.M. (2005). Diagnostic Assessment of Asperger’s Disorder: A Review of Five Third-Party Rating Scales. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 35(1), 25-35. Retrieved on July 15, 2011 from http://www.coe.uga.edu/asd-rtc/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Diagnostic-Assessment-of-Aspergers-Disorder.-A-Review-of-Five-Third-Party-Rating-Scales-JADD-20051.pdf Cashin, A. (2008). Narrative Therapy: A Psychotherapeutic Approach in the Treatment of Adolescents with Asperger’s Disorder. Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, 21 (1), 48-56. Retrieved on July 15, 2011 from http://mlhs-virtual-library.mtlsd.wikispaces.net/file/view/narrative+therapy.pdf Frazier, J.A., Doyle, R., Chiu, S. and Coyle, J.T. (2002). Treating a Child with Asperger’s Disorder and Comorbid Bipolar Disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry, 159 (1), 13-21. Retrieved on July 15, 2011 from http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/159/1/13 Moustakas, M. (2010). Special Needs Parenting. In Traits, Characteristics and Behavior of Children with Asperger's. Retrieved July 15, 2011, from http://www.suite101.com/content/traits-characteristics-and-behavior-of-aspergers-article-2-a276354 Turkington, C. & Harris, J. (2006). National Organizations. The Encyclopedia of Learning Disabilities (2nd ed.) (p. 250-266) New York: Infobase Publishing. Read More