Study Reveals Long-Term Effects Of Asperger's

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Oct 17, 2008 11:21 pm US/Central

Study Reveals Long-Term Effects Of Asperger's

(WCCO) Sylvestre spent his childhood and teenage years feeling clumsy and different. "Growing up, I really felt like there was something that was a little bit off about me," he said. What's the first thing he remembers? How big of a role his senses played in his day to day life. "When I was little, the seam in my socks, every morning, if the seam wasn't sitting right in my socks that would be a really big deal to me," he said. In school, it became harder and harder for him to understand the nuances of communication, and he couldn't figure out why changes in routine bothered him, but no one else. "When everything kind of falls to pieces and that structure gets pulled out from under me, it really can be a big adjustment sometimes," said Sylvestre. Eventually, Sylvestre was hospitalized for depression. He said, "I felt like I wasn't getting heard by people. I felt like something was different, but I felt like no one believed me." It wasn't until he was diagnosed with Asperger's disorder in adolescence that the pieces of his life finally fit together. He said, "It was really a relief to get that diagnosis at age 15." "Dan said 'It's as if people all my life were telling me I need to fly a plane, but now that I have the Asperger's diagnosis, it's like they gave me a flight manual,'" recalled Deb Sylvestre, Sylvestre's mom. More people are being diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders, including Asperger's, than ever before. People with Asperger's typically have average to above average cognitive skills, but difficulty communicating with others, maintaining eye contact, and picking up on social cues. "Because it's a relatively recently recognized disorder, we had very little information about long-term outcomes," said Kim Klein, a pediatric neuropsychologist at Fraser, one of the Twin Cities largest resources for families with kids on the spectrum. Klein and co-researcher Pat Pulice organized a study to learn more about how adults with Asperger's, like Sylvestre, compare to adults without the disorder. "We've found that in some ways, this population is doing as well as their peers. They've been successful in obtaining employment. They've been successful in pursuing their hobbies," said Pulice. "Virtually all of the young adults with Asperger's disorder graduated from high school, same as our control group," said Klein. "Forty-five percent went on to college or some type of post-secondary education; identical rates to the control group." That describes Sylvestre perfectly. He's now a student at the University of Minnesota and is studying mechanical engineering. One of the biggest surprises in the study so far is that no one with Asperger's has reported any trouble with illegal drugs, alcohol or cigarettes, whereas 25 percent of study participants without the disorder have. "Most people are introduced to cigarettes or drug or alcohol use by their peer group, so if you don't have a peer group, you're not going to be exposed to those types of things," explained Klein. On the less positive side, young adults with Asperger's were found to be more likely to need medication for depression. Sixty-nine percent of that group needed medication, compared to 39 percent of non-Asperger's study participants. "I am sure that if we had a diagnosis of Asperger's for Dan when he was younger, the bumps in the road would have been a lot smoother," said Sylvestre's mom. She hopes that the study helps educate more people about Asperger's, and that it helps doctors figure out new ways to treat it so there will be more success stories like her son's. "I tell him all the time, 'You can do things in your life that the average person couldn't, even if they wanted to,' with the classes he can take and the brilliance he has. I just feel so incredibly proud of him and just so grateful," said Sylvestre.