...on the spectrum!
Have you ever heard about the Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg? Or about the billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX Elon Musk? Or even about the wife of Kurt Cobain, Courtney Love? Do you know what all these people have in common? As a matter of fact, they all share another characteristic, besides the fact that they are all very well-known celebrities: they also have Asperger’s syndrome, which is a form of Autism Spectrum Disorder.
The name Asperger comes from the Austrian pediatrician Hans Asperger, who was the first one to pinpoint some particular characteristics and behaviours that he also had. Unfortunately, he died before his identification of this behavioural pattern became recognised worldwide. The slow dissemination of information was partially caused by the fact that Asperger’s studies were written exclusively in German, which was essentially spoken only in Austria and Germany. Eventually, thanks to the English psychiatrist Lorna Wing, an essay about Asperger's syndrome was published and translated into other languages, so that Asperger’s studies and researches could gain some notice. The syndrome was named after Hans Asperger and then it was included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, but it was later removed.
Nowadays, we can easily learn more about this syndrome, which is not a mental illness! People with Asperger’s usually have an intense obsession with one or two specific, narrow subjects and they can easily memorize information and facts they are interested in. They usually love planning everything and get upset at any small change in their routines. They do not really fancy social interactions also because they usually do not understand other people’s feelings and this is why they can seem pretty ‘rude’ sometimes. While talking to the others, they tend to be extremely literal, so it is quite uncommon for them to use common sayings, proverbs and metaphors, just because they do not fully understand them.
But we must remember this syndrome is not a disability at all. People with Asperger’s usually have average intelligence, good grammar skills and an advanced vocabulary.
Even though today the Asperger’s Syndrome is very well-known by experts, so they know how to recognize it and how to treat people suffering from it, nobody really knows why some children are born with this syndrome. Many think that genetics may be involved, but the causes of this neurobiological disorder are still unknown.
As I said before, Asperger’s Syndrome is neither an illness, nor a disability, although many people still wrongly believe so. In the last few years, many activists have acted online to raise awareness about this topic. Also Netflix, the famous American streaming platform, have produced some programmes about autism, such as the successful series Atypical, which is all about the life of Sam, a 17-year-old boy with Asperger’s and a huge interest in penguins. In 2008, the United Nation General Assembly declared 2 April as World Autism Awareness Day to highlight the need to improve the quality of life of those with autism. On this occasion, Greta Thunberg posted a photo on her Instagram account, saying: ‘‘No, autism is not a ‘gift’. For most it is an endless fight against schools, workplaces and bullies. But under the right circumstances, given the right adjustments, it can be a superpower. Our societies need to change, and we need people who think out of the box and we need to start taking care of each other. And embrace our differences.’’
Anna Donà
