Asperger Syndrome (AS) has come under the spotlight recently, as the case of Londoner Gary McKinnon has come to light. He faces possible extradition to the US for allegedly hacking into a Pentagon database.

His defence, that he has AS and that he was only looking for information about UFO sightings in space agency and military computers, is in line with the intense, almost obsessive interest in hobbies experienced by many of those who have the condition.

It is a form of autism which is usually described as a spectrum disorder, because it affects people in different ways and to varying degrees.

It is thought that it is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors.

Aspire, The Asperger Syndrome Association in Ireland, estimates that thousands of Irish people have the condition, with nine times more males than females being affected.

Helen O'Connor, principal social worker at Cork's Regional Autism Service, says that there is much misunderstanding about the syndrome.

"It's a misconception that high-functioning autism is the same as AS," she says.

"It isn't, but there are many similarities."

Before she diagnoses a child, Helen and her team liaise with parents and teachers and observe him at home and at play.

"We do speech, language, cognitive and occupational-therapy assessments," she explains.

"In general, children with developmental delays before the age of three are not diagnosed as having AS."

Young children with Asperger's tend to either play as taught, or enact a scene from a cartoon or TV show they watched, rather than improvise or initiate their own imaginary games.

"This difficulty in pretending develops into black and white thinking," explains Helen.

"They don't see the grey options. For them there is right and wrong, with no in-between. This causes difficulty with social interaction."

Many believe that people with Asperger's have special skills, but while this can occur, Helen says that in her experience it's not the norm.

"Over the nine years I've been working with these children, two were highly skilled in physics, but they were severely challenged in other areas," she says.

Children with the condition need support at school and long-term family contact.

Partner

As adults, they need someone to make sure they are looking after the basic routines of life.

Helen says that because people who have AS tend to be better looking than most, many parents tell her they hope that when their kids grow up, their looks will help them find a good partner who will look after them.

Sometimes when Helen is explaining Asperger's to parents whose child has been diagnosed, the wife discovers for the first time that her husband also has the syndrome. "That can be quite heartbreaking," she says.

While having a child diagnosed with AS can be frightening, Helen reminds parents that behind the label is a human condition. "The child will have both strengths and weaknesses," she says.

"When they have a choice to do right or wrong those with AS will always choose the former," says Helen.

"They're very upfront, and have a wonderful honesty about them. They have no sides. What you see is what you get.

"If the world was a perfect place, people with autism would be kings."

Jo and Hugo Flinn from Croom, Co Limerick, have seven children. Their youngest, Amy (11), has AS.

"Amy found it hard to socialise in play-school. That put her under pressure so she'd flap her hands and take funny steps," says Jo.

"Her speech wasn't up to the level you'd expect, so we had hearing tests done and they turned out normal. We sent her for speech therapy at five, but by third class she was floundering.

"Everything made sense when she was diagnosed with AS 18 months ago. If a teacher is talking fast, Amy may not get the gist of what's being said. At home, we write things down for her if we think she needs that clarification.

"People who don't know Amy say she looks fine. But if they were to live with us for a day, they'd know all about it.

"When she gets flustered she screams and has tantrums. Unfamiliar house guests can cause her to storm off slamming doors, as she gets so upset.

"Her sense of taste, smell, and touch are highly developed so unexpected sounds upset her. You can't just enfold her in a bear hug. If she wants one she tells us.

"On the plus side, Amy loves her dogs and her budgie.

"She enjoys cooking and baking and she rides, cycles and plays golf. When she grows up she wants to run a kennel."

Hugo says: "There was a lot of distress when Amy was diagnosed, but I was relieved as it enabled us to get her a classroom assistant and sessions with a resource assistant. That has helped a lot.

"Amy has a bunch of talent. It's just a question of harnessing it and finding the right niche for her."

North Cork Asperger Support Group launches at 8pm this Wednesday, November 11, at Mallow GAA Complex For information, contact northcorkaspergers @gmail.com

The DVD, Asperger Syndrome: A Practical Guide for Parents, Teachers, Young People and Other Professionals, is available for €10 from Aspire. www.aspire-irl.org

- Rita de Brun

Irish Independent