GARDEN STATE TO PLANT THE SEEDS OF ASPERGER’S TREATMENT

Volume 28, Issue 501 October 15, 2007

Matthew Gever

New Jersey lawmakers have voted to help persons with Asperger’s Syndrome (AS), a form of autism that has often been overlooked or misdiagnosed. Individuals with Asperger’s tend to manifest some of the same symptoms as other persons with autism, including impaired social interaction, problems with communication and unusual and repetitive activities.

But unlike other forms of autism, people with AS tend to have above-average intelligence, a highly developed vocabulary and extensive knowledge about one subject. The combination of high intelligence and limited social skills has meant that individuals with AS are often not diagnosed as having the syndrome or are misdiagnosed.

Children with AS may not receive the specialized help given to children with other forms of autism or the help they need as adults to find and maintain jobs.

A recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study examined the prevalence of autism in selected states around the country. Researchers found that New Jersey had the highest prevalence of autism spectrum disorders in the country among eight-year-old children: 10.6 per 1,000, compared to 6.6 per 1,000 nationally. (Researchers focused on eight-year-olds because previous research has shown that most children with autism have been identified by this age for services.)

“Studies have shown that Asperger’s Syndrome is roughly six times more common than classic autism (the most common condition in a group of developmental disorders known as the autism spectrum disorders), which means that New Jersey’s rates (of AS) are sky-high, considering that we have the highest autism rates in the nation,” said Senator Loretta Weinberg.

The high prevalence of autism and the fact that children with AS are often not diagnosed—or are misdiagnosed—caught New Jersey lawmakers’ attention. The state enacted seven bills aimed at autism, including one that focuses on AS.

“There are so many adults and young adults who were misdiagnosed over the years [that] there weren’t any programs to meet their needs,” said Assemblywoman Joan Voss, who has a son with AS.

Developing a Model

AB 2291 establishes a pilot program for Asperger’s within the Department of Human Services. “The goal…is to help AS individuals find and keep jobs commensurate with their intelligence and interests, while keeping track of what works and what doesn’t,” said Mary Meyer, coordinator of the North Chapter of ASPEN (Asperger Syndrome Education Network).

The Legislature appropriated $300,000 for the pilot. The Department will contract with community-based service centers to begin providing services to those diagnosed with AS, including individualized guidance for finding employment and counseling programs to improve social skills. The hope is that the pilot will serve as a model for other Asperger’s programs.

“This program is necessary because unlike many physical disabilities, individuals with Asperger’s syndrome often display superior intelligence and their impairments are not always evident, which can leave them ineligible for aid services from the Division of Developmental Disabilities,” added Senator Weinberg.

More on Asperger’s

Prevalence rates for individuals with Asperger’s have ranged from 0.3 to 48.5 people per 10,000 depending on the study’s methodology, with diagnoses three to four times higher in boys than in girls, according to various studies. The general consensus puts the rate at about 2 per 10,000.

However, a dispute does exists in the scientific community over AS. Some clinicians argue that the condition does not deserve its own classification, but should be considered the highest-functioning end of autism. However, the syndrome was included in the most recent edition (published in 1994) of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

Some common symptoms of Asperger’s, according to the National Institutes of Health, include an obsessive interest in a specific topic, to the point of ignoring any other ideas or objects; inability to understand body language and other non-verbal communication; social-skill problems, such as the inability to form relationships with others or understand humor or tone of voice; and motor skill problems such as clumsiness.

Currently, there is no known cure for AS, although some treatments exist. Many children with Asperger’s can learn the rules of social communication when taught in an explicit fashion similar to foreign language instruction. Cognitive behavior therapies, such as learning a strategy to deal with unknown social situations, have also been known to help. “People with Asperger’s can be highly functioning adults,” said Assemblyman Robert Gordon.