How would you explain Asperger's syndrome to the public?

Jon, I get what you mean, with Aspergers.., the lens in which I look through my world is very unique, got a gifted IQ but I am intellectually and emotionally isolated.  As a result this brings uncertainty and stress.

hohner said:

Sheldon Cooper

http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/television/2009/02/mustgeek_tv.html

It sometimes makes me feel sad that Sheldons world is so happy. Its full of positives, and thats good, but it does somewhat show up my own life a little.

Sheldon Cooper

http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/television/2009/02/mustgeek_tv.html

i usually just say it means my partner doesnt do well in sociasl siatuaions because he doesnt understand people very well and they dont understand him , how he is more blunt an dhonest than most people and he has obsessions/routines. and i never forget to say that its his 'difference' that i love .

if it ever gets into depth, which it rarely does, i would explain about the hypersensitivty, routines and obsessions and how they actually affect our life etc

That is a good desription Scorpian0x17, although I prefer 'sensory processing difficulties'  to 'sensory issues' because 'issues' can be rather vague, but that might just be my pedantry at work!. Another problem that is often experienced is the exteme anxiety, brought  about  by the  constant struggle to understand the world.

I say something like this:

"It's an Autistic Spectrum Disorder (use Condition, if you prefer), and basically means my brain is wired up differently to most peoples and I percieve the world differently. I find it difficult to read people, and understand their motives, and I have to process social situations intellectually rather than intuitively. You can think of it as a kind of Social Dyslexia, but it's more than that. I also have sensory issues regarding light and sound. For example I can not filter out sounds and hear everything that's going on all the time. Which can be overwhelming at times."

Hope said:

If someone you don't know, and who has no knowledge of the condition, asks you 'what is Asperger's syndrome', how would you answer the question?. I am intrigued to know what your responses might be.

I tend not to use the name Asperger Syndrome, I just say I have "mild Autism and Dyspraxia".  I also carry with me one of the NAS Autism alert wallets, with the relevant cards and information sheet on Asperger Syndrome.  

Anonymous said:

Then I'd want to question what 'intelligence' is and amounts to, in a social context... probably begin to question the validity and effectiveness of our educational system... and the meaningfulness of the bulk of our employment and so-on... but that's moving beyond your original question of course.

.........but very interesting though

Thank you for your replies so far. I often feel dumbfounded when someone without much of a clue asks me this question. I want to avoid stereotypes, but at the same time I don't want to come out with vague waffle that renders the condition meaningless.

I might say something like: the main difficulty that all people with Asperger's syndrome experience is social relationships. This means that they struggle to work out what someone might be thinking and feeling based upon non-verbal body language and subtle facial expressions, and they also struggle with irony and sarcasm, often misinterpreting ambiguous language and metaphors.Consequently people with Aspergers find it hard to make friends, particularly with their peer group, and often become very isolated and lonely. Many people with Asperger's syndrome also find it difficult dealing with change and uncertainty, to a greater or lesser degree, and cope best in a stable and predictable environment. It is common for people with AS to develop intense interests in academic subjects, which can bring them lots of pleasure. However, these interests tend to be solitary, and are often a welcome escape from the social world. Finally, it is common for people with Asperger's syndrome to get overwhelmed  by their environment; background noise, such as people talking, or background movement, can distract them and prevent them from being able to process information. Consequently, people with Asperger's syndrome often struggle to concentrate and pursue tasks in noisy and chaotic environments.

Well, I'd say that nobody really fully understands it yet... just as we don't fully understand the human brain either... though we can agree that both are complex, and that it seems to rarely be advantageous reducing them to sound-bites. 

I'd say that while there are numerous associated traits, the defining one is the biological inability to respond to non-vebal communication such as body language and facial expression - which is scientifically demonstrable (albeit with extremely sophisticated, exotic and expensive equipment).

I'd stress it's the biological rather than cognitive inability - that the quite common notion that such individuals are inherently sociopathic ('incapable of empathy') is a fallacy, and potentially a rather offensive one in some ways, given that every time somebody with Asperger syndrome manages to 'successfully' communicate with those around them, this is occuring 'against the odds' as they struggle with the difficulties that they naturally encounter in this context, which the majority of people don't have.

I'd suggest that this defining trait might be comparable to deafness in terms of a pervasive general impairment that affects their daily life, one that without completely shutting out all communication from their immediate (often primarily social) environment, shuts-out a substantial enough portion of it to affect their functioning significantly. 

I'd even go so far as to describe it as 'body-deafness' (i.e. being 'deaf' to non-verbal communication) in terms of evoking the difficulties and isolation which can occur for individuals with the condition - and suggest this as an alternative term to that of 'mind-blindness' which can imply a lack of imagination, and the inability to understand other people 'full-stop' rather than a distinct impairment in terms of specific interpretations of social interaction.

Finally, I'd emphasis that apparently, people with the condition are more intelligent on average - suggesting that this distinguishing trait of a negative impairment is only half of the story, with the apparent genetic basis (indicating a natural tendency for the condition to be passed-on) potentially reinforcing this notion.

Then I'd want to question what 'intelligence' is and amounts to, in a social context... probably begin to question the validity and effectiveness of our educational system... and the meaningfulness of the bulk of our employment and so-on... but that's moving beyond your original question of course. :)

Look at this book, its aimed at children but it still works with adults. Most people ask what aspergers is but they can't really be bothered to read loads about it and just want it in a bight size chunk. It works very well and gives your average person the general idea, in a few minutes, in nice way.

All cats have asperger syndrome

www.amazon.co.uk/.../1843104814

It has 65 pages with a sentance on each page. Most of the book is pictures of cats.

I am daunted by the idea of trying to explain it to someone.As its a spectrum its going to be a bit different for everyone. On the one hand you don't want people left to their woen (possibly wrong) assumptions and on the other hand you don't want them to misunderstand you or your actions. Their is also the level of disclosure and your privacy to consider.

Today I have a telephone appointment with an occupational therapist to do with my job. I have written down some things and tried to plan with it but really worry that I will mess it up. I think if I have to explain anything to anyone I like to have time to think and gather my thoughts. If they ask me anything I like to have time to think about that too. I don't like being put on the spot. I much prefer email to face2face or the telephone.

Likewise, I find also describing it as akin to social dyslexia usually gets people to understand a bit better. I'm always keen to emphasis that it is social, our mental capacity is in no way hindered.

I just spent ages giving my thoughts on this. Sorry Hope but I find typing on an iPad almost impossible and lost it! My short answer is:Autism. If they don't know what that is I'd direct them to this site. Seems to me that they are one and the same thing.