Asperger's Syndrome is lifelong and affects how someone communicates, how they relate to others and how they make sense of the world. There are three main areas of difficulty, often referred to as the 'triad of impairments', which are difficulty with social communication, difficulty with social interaction and having strong or narrowed interests.
There are similarities with Autism, however people with Asperger's Syndrome have fewer problems with speaking, and are often of average or above average intelligence. Unlike Autism, they tend not to have the accompanying learning disabilities, but could have specific learning difficulties, such as dyslexia and dyspraxia, or other conditions such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Epilepsy. There are also associations with motor difficulties, and mental ill health in older children and teenagers. There are around 1 in 100 people in the UK with an ASD, from all nationalities and backgrounds. Asperger's Syndrome appears to be more common in boys than girls. The exact cause is not known but research indicates that genetic and environmental factors together are important, and may account for changes in brain development. Similar to Autism, each person will display a mixture of characteristics, but the effect of each varies significantly from person to person.