When I was nine years old, my parents got me the original Nintendo for Christmas. As my sister and I ran upstairs to our room to hook it up, my little brother, only two years old at the time, followed close behind. That evening, we entered the world of Mario, Luigi and King Koopa and were entranced.

            It wasn’t too surprising that my baby brother also became enchanted with the games. But we soon realized that his “interest” had become an obsession. He talked constantly about Mario and Luigi. He watched the Super Mario Brothers Super Show every day and would write stories about the characters. And at the tender age of two, he was playing the video game whenever we would let him. It wasn’t just that he “loved” it – he was obsessed with it. And that wasn’t the only thing: he also had social difficulties, was rather clumsy, and had difficulty carrying on a logical conversation.

“So what is wrong with him?”

            To us, it didn’t make any sense. What’s more, back then, it made little sense to doctors. My family took my brother to specialists, but never received a diagnosis that made sense. Then, one day I read about a form of autism that wouldn’t show itself by hand flapping and lack of speech. Rather, its set of indicators was more fluid and less defined, but still allowed the firm diagnosis my family had never received. I now believe my brother suffers from this form of autism, called Asperger’s Syndrome (AS).

“He’d rather build a robot than play tag”

Although AS-affected kids look just like all the other kids in class and, in its most mild form, may simply be seen as “weird,” AS is related to autism. Social integration, while not totally absent, is often extremely problematic.

AS-affected children also possess an encyclopedic knowledge of certain subjects that is far beyond that of other children their age. They may not be able to carry on a conversation, but they can tell you all about their obsession of choice, be it aerodynamics, animals or even Super Mario Brothers.

            Social interaction, for many AS kids, can also be something that just gets in the way of them doing what they want to do. Missy Feldhaus has two children with AS. She says that one of the most difficult things for others to grasp about kids with AS is something commonly called the “little professor syndrome.”

“These kids can be so bright that other kids, and adults, just don’t understand them,” Feldhaus says. “My son preferred to build a robot during recess than play tag. He enjoyed it, but it didn’t do much for his social life.”

A complicated diagnosis

Difficulty in social situations and extreme interest in and knowledge of one narrowly focused interest are not the only symptoms of Asperger’s. AS kids may also have difficulty expressing themselves verbally. While autistic children may not speak at all, “Aspies” may talk a lot, using words and sentence structure that seem overly formal, and they may have difficulty understanding the meaning of what others say to them. Children with Asperger’s may also seem clumsy and have difficulties with some motor skills.

            Another trait some children with Asperger’s deal with is the inability to handle abstract thought. They may only understand the concrete meaning of written or spoken language and can have difficulty “reading between the lines.” This is not true in all cases of AS, but is can be strange to hear a child recite the American presidents forwards and backwards, be able to list their dates of birth, and not be able to explain who their favorite president is.

            Feldhaus says that as with most any disorder, there are those who want to make a diagnosis cut-and-dry, but that Asperger’s is far more complicated than that will allow.

“Just like anything else there are varying degrees of Asperger’s and very few ‘classic textbook’ cases,” Feldhaus says. “Humor is something Aspies are said to not have, as well as any type of social skills,” although some AS kids possess these skills. “While they do socialize, they don’t understand what is appropriate and inappropriate. Interrupting conversations to talk about what they want to talk about is ‘normal’ for them. Some are very rigid with routines and some are not,” she continues.

Feldhaus says that one of the most difficult things to deal with for her has been other people “blaming” her for her kids’ behaviors. “When we go out in public we pray it goes smoothly but at any given time something could set them off,” she says. “This throws them into a full blown meltdown that goes above and beyond your typical temper tantrum.”

Could my child have Asperger’s Syndrome?

What should a parent who thinks their child might have AS do? If these signs and symptoms sound familiar, the first step is to visit your child’s doctor, says pediatrician Ashli West, MD. West says that after talking with the family about the possible diagnosis, there are usually two more places she directs her patients. “After I talk to the family, I would then refer them to a neurologist and an occupational therapist,” West says.

            As for my brother, on his recent 20^th birthday, my husband and I got him a newly released DVD of old episodes of the Super Mario Brothers Super Show . My brother is notoriously difficult to buy for, more than anything because nothing really gets him that excited. I have been back to my parent’s house for Easter and seen Christmas gifts still wrapped in plastic in his room because he just doesn’t understand that leaving a gift unused out in the open is a rude thing to do.

            The birthday gift, however, was a hit. He was really excited , my mom said. My husband and I used to try and find gifts for him that had “educational value,” but as I understood more what made him tick, I realized that by indulging his obsession, we weren’t encouraging it. We were just acknowledging something that is built into his brain. And besides, now he plays these games and DVDs for his nieces and nephew, who he loves and dotes on.

            The point should not be lost that while Asperger’s may be a frustrating disorder that can cause serious social difficulties, AS kids can grow up to have highly successful careers and close and loving relationships. After all, many researchers suspect now that Albert Einstein, who didn’t speak until he was seven and who had notorious difficulties in school, was an “Aspie” as well.

Signs & Symptoms of Asperger’s Syndrome

Most parents who have a child with AS, even if they don’t yet know it, already probably understand that there is something “different” about their child. It can be extremely frustrating for families of children with AS to watch their child struggle mightily in some areas while excelling almost bizarrely in others. So what are some of the indications that a child may have AS?

• Engaging in one-sided, long-winded conversations, without noticing if the listener is listening or trying to change the subject
• Displaying unusual nonverbal communication, such as lack of eye contact, few facial expressions, or awkward body postures and gestures
• Showing an intense obsession with one or two specific, narrow subjects (such as baseball statistics, train schedules, weather or snakes)
• Appearing not to understand, empathize with, or be sensitive to others’ feelings
• Having a hard time “reading” other people or understanding humor
• Speaking in a voice that is monotonous, rigid or unusually fast
• Moving clumsily, with poor coordination
• Having an odd posture or a rigid gait

Resources for parents

Autism Society of America: http://www.autism-society.org/

Cure Autism Now: http://www.cureautismnow.org/

MAAP Services for Autism and Asperger Spectrum: http://www.asperger.org/

Online Asperger Syndrome Information and Support (OASIS): http://www.aspergersyndrome.org/

Asperger Syndrome Education Network: http://www.aspennj.org/