How Does Autism Affect High Functioning Children And Those With Asperger Syndrome?
While autism is difficult enough to detect in young children, it can be very complex to diagnosis in older children especially when the child appears very intelligent and can speak. According to Lorna Wing, an internationally recognized researcher, children on the spectrum: “share a triad of impaired social interaction, communication, and imagination, associated with a rigid, repetitive pattern of behaviour…The triad can be recognized at all levels of intelligence and can occur alone or together with any other physical or psychological disorder.” — Wing, L. (1996) Autistic Spectrum Ddisorder. British Medical Journal, 312. The subtle but equally problematic characteristics of ‘high-functioning autism’ or Asperger’s Syndrome include: Social Deficits: Although they may be very intelligent, they are socially naïve. They have great difficulty understanding that someone else may have a hostile intent to them and will often follow instructions clearly aimed at getting them into trouble. Th
