[Rachel Rae]

I know someone who's son has been "diagnosed" with this syndrome.

Is it me or does it sound like the medical community is reaching...

Now we have an actual autism-like classification for kids and people who don't make friends easily?

I am not saying that being unable to make eye contact and communicate normally are not serious quality of life issues, however are we giving medication for this now?
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Life's a PITCH

[modsquad]

Are you upset that this person has been diagnosed with what you consider a rather mild if nonexistent mental condition? OR maybe you're upset that he has probably received a "free ride" courtesy of the Board of Ed.

[dakotas way]

I've worked with a teenager with asperger's and my niece's boyfriend is diagnosed with it. They are both quite text book in their symptoms. Having eye contact challenges is a classic syndrom. One positive aspect is that they tend to be incredibly proficient in some area of their life. The boyfriend is an amazing guitarist. The teenage girl was a wonderful writer. But it is a real thing they deal with and it's not easy. The awkwardness and social challenges can be heartbreaking.

Are there meds for it? I don't know. But didn't your heart feel for that child when you were in school that, in retrospect, you now know probably had this to deal with and was alienated and lonely?

[brokechick]

asperger's is a disorder that leads to significant problems with socialization, but that isn't the sum of it. the problem is a cognitive one, and people with the condition aren't able to detect or process or respond appropriately to normal social cues. usually this doesn't make it just difficult to make friends; it makes it impossible to have a successful interpersonal exchange, and people can wind up with a social/emotional development level that is decades behind where most people at their age are. it can also lead to problems in school and delayed education, even though most people with asperger's are quite intelligent, particularly when it comes to language skills. like all autism classifications, it is a spectrum disorder, and the symptoms can range from relatively mild to severe. some people with asperger's seem just slightly eccentric, but some aren't able to live independently. there is no medication for it; if this boy you're talking about was given some sort of prescription, it wasn't for the asperger's itself. the medical community is not "reaching." the condition is very real and biologically based, and it is not autism-like, it is a true autism spectrum disorder. please don't judge or dismiss before you have full information.
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your girl is something of a shrew, hubbell.

[Orange Fish]

It's my understanding Asperger was defined in the mid-late 1940's. In some medical circles it is thought that everyone has Autistism and is subject to different degrees of it. A great number of intellectuals that are or have existed are believed to have suffered from Autism/Asperger. So, no I think the medical community is stretching.

[whynot_31]

[TVC15]

[modsquad]

[HeightsMama]

For anyone interested...

GRASP (the Global and Regional Asperger Syndrome Partnership) runs a network of peer run support groups for teens and adults with AS along with their families and friends.

It also works within NYC's public school system to help teens with AS.

Find out more at www.grasp.org

Good luck!