Asperger Syndrome & Autism Spectrum

Everyone who meets me quickly recognizes my angularities and eccentricities. It’s all part of Asperger Syndrome.

Asperger Syndrome is sometimes referred to as “high-functioning autism.” It bears the name of Hans Asperger, an Austrian psychologist, who studied the clinical characteristics of autism in the 1930s and 1940s. His work was overshadowed by that of the American physician Leo Kanner whose work framed the academic understanding of autism for roughly forty years. Leo Kanner’s diagnostic criteria required a comorbid learning disability and diminished intellectual capacity. Hans Asperger’s diagnostic criteria accommodated normal (and even gifted) cognition.

In 1982, psychologist Lorna Wang differentiated two types of autism according to learning (dis)ability. She termed autism without learning disability as Asperger Syndrome. Diagnostic recognition of Asperger Syndrome arose first in 1992 and 1994 through the publication of ICD-10 and DSM-IV, respectively. At that time, classic autism and Asperger Syndrome were two subtypes of Pervasive Developmental Disorder. The five PDDs were collectively renamed Autism Spectrum Disorder in DSM-V (2013) and ICD-11 (2019). Autism Spectrum Disorder is a neurological and neurodevelopmental disorder, not a mental illness.

Persons with Asperger Syndrome categorically do not apprehend social cues, norms, and expectations of the normative population. They are prone to incongruous perceptions of reality. They see no gray and they often fail to understand why other people do not see things with equal clarity. They generally have problems experiencing emotion; various emotions can be absent or disproportionate (too little or too much). They display inconsistent reactions to expressions of emotion because the ability to identify, anticipate, and appreciate the emotions of others is absent or limited. They often cannot articulate thought in moments of emotion or anxiety overload.

Asperger lives are characterized by routines and difficulty adapting to change. Persons with Asperger Syndrome have normal, heightened, or superior intelligence and generally live independent lives. Although classic autism is diagnosed at very young ages, usually by age three, Asperger Syndrome is frequently unrecognized, discounted as a peculiar personality, or misdiagnosed as ADHD and bipolar disorder.

Dave Plummer, a retired Microsoft engineer, tells his story of a successful career despite his undiagnosed AS/ASD, and the meaningfulness of a diagnosis that explained his life experience.

And this YouTuber explains his experience with comorbid ADHD and ASD (which doesn’t mean it is true for everyone, but could be enlightening for many).

One Reply to “Asperger Syndrome & Autism Spectrum”

  1. Google Gemini has a succinct statement of Asperger Syndrome:

    For individuals with Asperger’s syndrome (now formally diagnosed under Autism Spectrum Disorder or ASD), struggling to accept or follow conventional social rules is a core experience. This is rarely a deliberate choice to be rude or rebellious; rather, it stems from a fundamental difference in how the brain processes interpersonal data, logic, and communication.

    Why Conventional Social Rules are Difficult to Accept

    1. They Feel Arbitrary and Illogical
    Neurodivergent brains are highly attuned to systems, logic, and fairness. Many neurotypical social conventions lack intrinsic logic. For example:

    • The “How are you?” Paradox: Being expected to answer “Good, thanks!” even when you are miserable feels dishonest and pointlessly performative.
    • Social Hierarchies: Individuals with Asperger’s often struggle to respect authority based purely on a title or age rather than the person’s actual behavior or merit.

    2. They Are “Unwritten” and Unspoken
    Most people pick up social norms automatically via imitation and intuition. For someone with Asperger’s, these rules are invisible until they are accidentally broken. Navigating a room feels like trying to play a complex board game where everyone else has a copy of the rulebook except you.

    3. High Cognitive Load (Manual vs. Automatic)
    Because reading body language, tone of voice, and micro-expressions does not happen automatically, individuals must consciously analyze interactions in real time. Trying to force the brain to execute these rules constantly causes severe cognitive fatigue and sensory burnout.

    Common Areas of Friction

    Social Expectation The Asperger’s Perspective
    Small Talk Seen as superficial and a waste of energy; a preference exists for deep, direct, or interest-driven discussions.
    White Lies
    & Polite­ness    		 Prioritizing social comfort over literal accuracy can feel confusing or deceptive. Direct honesty is valued instead.
    Eye Contact Forcing eye contact can be intensely uncomfortable, distracting, or physically overwhelming, hindering the ability to listen.
    Unspoken Boundaries Missing implicit cues about when a conversation is over, or when a topic has been discussed for too long.

    Adaptive Strategies

    • Translate Rules into Logic: Instead of trying to accept a rule blindly, map out why it matters to others. (e.g., “Small talk isn’t about the weather; it’s a safety check to see if the other person is friendly.”)
    • “Telling Social Secrets”: Request explicit feedback from trusted friends, family, or colleagues. Ask them to explain the hidden social rules of a specific environment directly rather than dropping hints.
    • Selective Masking & Authenticity: Decide which conventions are necessary for safety or career success (like standard workplace etiquettes) and where it is safe to drop the act and be yourself.

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