In my continual education of trauma and it’s affects, I research a lot. Aspergers is one disorder I know can be developed from complex trauma, and I see how this develops.
It is interesting going through the different challenges those with Aspergers can face and how there will be different levels of insight into these challenges.
http://www.aspergerrus.com/what-is-asperger-syndrome.html
From the above website…
Communication
-Makes limited eye contact or intense eye contact
-Black and white thinking (fixed focus and thoughts)
-must know purpose for everything
-Interprets language literally
-Visualizes figures of speech, metaphors, idioms, sarcasm
-Uses advanced vocabulary in an overly precise manner
-Odd rhythm and peculiar voice characteristics (voice lacks emotion)
-Lecturing others in monologue instead of conversing
-Difficulty in seeing or understanding the other person’s perspective
-All or nothing behavior and thinking (it is or it isn’t-no maybe)
-Poor appreciation of body language and social cues
-Needs processing time
-Repetitive body movements (twitches, odd gait, spinning)
-Overly sensitive to sensory stimuli
-Perfectionist and/or catastrophic thinking
-Needs answers (tends to over analyze and worry)
-Prone to a combination of : anxiety, depression, sleep deprivation and disturbances
-Does not consider own health or safety
Social
-May not share in the interests or achievements of others
-May not respond to what others are saying (difficulty staying focused)
-Unaware of how his behavior and/or comments affect others
-Seems uninterested in activities that involve competition, fads, trends
-Lacks understanding to interact age appropriately with peers
-Narrow range of interests
-Does not ask others questions, opinions or clarification
-Expects others to understand what he thinks without telling them
-Cannot imagine what others are thinking or intentions
-Does not understand emotions of others
-Extreme reactions to minor upsets or confrontations (emotions may change quickly)
-Needs clarification on instructions, rules or requests
-Fails to modify emotional expressions to match the situation
-Obsessive behavior (ritualistic, may lead to onset of OCDs)
-May exhibit extreme knowledge in certain areas of education
-Sticks to rigid routines or imposes routines on others (difficulty being flexible)
-Needs excessive reassurance when change takes place
-Tend to be vulnerable (gullible or naive) prone to being bullied
-Often prefers to be by themselves-need alone time to recharge
Further reading about why people with aspergers don’t feel empathy and why they can have compulsive lying
http://www.autismcommunity.org.au/strategies-to-deal-with-compulsive-lying.html
