Asperger syndrome was first described in 1944 by the Austrian physician, Hans Asperger. He described children with socialization deficit, limited interests, and deficiency in language and communication. This disorder is also classified as a Pervasive developmental disorder. However, quite differently than in autism, a child with Asperger syndrome displays normal cognitive and intellectual development and no delay in language acquisition.

At first, the child’s development seems to be normal, but as years go by speech becomes different, monotonous, peculiar and very frequently with obsessive worries. There is difficulty in interacting with other children, very little empathy, and eccentric behavior. Clothing may be strangely arranged and extreme difficulty in socializing tends to bring loneliness. Children with Asperger syndrome have very few social skills, thus leading to inadequate behavior and difficulty in understanding human relations. They are inflexible, have trouble in dealing with changes and are emotionally vulnerable and instable. Motor coordination and visual-spatial perception are impaired. These children usually show peculiar interests and may spend hours watching the weather channel or reading exhaustively about their favorite subjects, which may be dinosaurs, Egypt, cars, airplanes or even maps.

High incidence within the same family can be caused by a possible genetic component, while alterations in the prefrontal cortex of the brain in children with Asperger syndrome indicate the existence of neurobiological factors. This patient also displays greater vulnerability to other psychiatric disorders, such as obsessive compulsive disorder, mood disorders and schizophrenia.