In this informational book, Echo R. Fling, the president of Asperger Syndrome Education Network, writes about the characteristics of AS in a very down-to-earth style. Fling is able to couple aspects of AS with personal anecdotes of her struggles with her Aspie son.
- Impairment in social functioning23
- obsessive interests and rigidity
- ability to use language to communicate, yet poor social and pragmatic skills
- intact cognitive and self-help skills
- repetitive motor mannerisms
- no peer relationships
Though this may seem like a very clear-cut definition, AS itself is easily confused with other similar disorders. Fling mentions High-Functioning Autism, Nonverbal Learning Disorder, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder- not Otherwise Specified as disorders commonly confused with Asperger.
Fling also touches on the lack of knowledge in the AS category. Not only was the DSM-IV definition of the disorder a bit fuzzy, but the main modes of treatment were to treat AS as Nonverbal Learning Disorder. In her own experience, Fling had to suffer through many expensive visits with psychologists, neuropsychologists, occupational therapists, Speech Pathologists, pediatritions… the list goes on and on. It was quite a long time until finally someone gave her son the fitting diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome. As Fling describes it, many of the diagnosis turned out “close, but no cigar”.
In the end, Fling concludes that the increase in number of individuals with AS to 1 in every 300 demands that the disorder be clarified and researched further.