Living and Coping with Asperger Syndrome

When you find out that you're living with a condition that won't go away, the best way to deal with it is to know everything you can about it. This is because the fear and the frustration usually roots from the fact that you don't exactly know what it is. Knowing the ins and outs of something as permanent as Asperger's Autism can definitely help you have a more productive life. This also goes especially for parents whose children have Asperger's Syndrome as well.

The most general thing you need to know is that Asperger's is a mild form of autism and is considered an Autistic Spectrum Disorder or Pervasive Developmental Disorder.

Usually, people who have this disorder have difficulty dealing with people on a face-to-face basis and a have cases of OCD. This is why they usually fall over themselves and trip a lot. They do, however, possess a high level of vocabulary but then there are some abnormalities when the patterns of their thinking are comprehensively studied.

The difference between Aspergers Autism and general autism is that the former presents itself later in life and is milder than general autism where you would have great difficulty trying to communicate with a person. However, those with the milder disorder have a more obvious case of OCD, as well as a high verbal IQ and a connection to the family genetics. Usually, those with general autism have high performance IQ only.

The amazing thing is that if you have Asperger's, there is nothing physically wrong with you. There are no lesions in the brain, and no other physical sign of autism. There's also no connection to having tuberous sclerosis, hypothyroidism, fragile-X syndrome or neurofibromatosis, unlike that of general autism. There has rarely been a case that this kind of disorder was remotely connected to the brain or any other physical abnormality. There has been some progress in the research on this disorder, although many tests still have to be performed to verify the data. An example of such progress is the usage of brain imaging techniques to study the disorder. It was found by Dr. R. Kaan Ozbayrak that there was parietooccipital hypoperfusion in the brains of those who are diagnosed with Asperger's.

Because of very limited research, a cure has not yet been found for this disorder. Even then, patients are sure to find consolation in the fact that therapy sessions exists to help a person deal with Asperger's. With these therapy sessions it will be easier for you or for a loved one to have a more productive life living with this disorder.

There are many things that therapists tap into to assist the patient in rehabilitating his body to deal with Asperger's. They're subjected to social skills training, psychotherapy, behavioral modification and education sessions.

Psychostimulants with metamphetamine, methyphenidate and dextroamphetamine are prescribed to those with Aspergers Syndrome. Others use Strattera, clonidine or tricyclic antidepressants. It supposedly helps to turn down a knotch on the behavior of a person who has the disorder. For psychological stability, they're prescribed with medicines that have carbamazepine, lithium, valproate, beta blockers, clonidine, neuroleptics, naltrexone and propranolol.