Asperger’s original description of Autistic Psychopathy

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Danielismyname
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31 Mar 2008, 1:16 am

Another member found this, I thought I'd post it up under a new heading, just to show what the man himself saw in his children:

Quote:
Abnormal eye gaze
* Hardly ever does the glance fix on a particular object or person.
* The gaze goes past the other person or, at most, touches them incidentally in passing.
* Glance does not meet glance as it does when unity of conversational contact is established.
* Does not generally bother to look at the person who is speaking.
* Faraway glance
* The gaze becomes extremely expressive and eyes light up when he is intent upon some malicious act.

Abnormal facial and gestural expression
* Has a paucity of facial and gestural expression.
* While talking, the face is mostly slack and empty.
* Sometimes has a tense, worried look.
* There is a paucity of other expressive movements/gestures.

Abnormal Social Relationship
* Increased personal distance.
* As if alone in the world.
* Dwells among people as if a stranger or an alien.
* Is oblivious to the surrounding noise and movement and seems to take no notice of what happens
around him.
* Sits preoccupied, perhaps apart in a corner, or even in the middle of a happy, noisy group of siblings
or peers, and is inaccessible in his preoccupation.
* Is irritated if someone breaks into his isolation.
* May demand a service or simply start a conversation on a theme of his own choosing. (All this goes
without any regard for differences in age, social rank or common courtesies just as he unconcernedly lean
on others.)
* Has an obsession of going his own way in all circumstances and exclusively use of his own self-invented procedures.
* Follows only his own wishes, interests and spontaneous impulses, without considering restrictions
or prescriptions imposed from outside
* Is disobedient and has frequent negativistic reactions including refusing to do what one is required to do
or doing exactly the opposite
* Lacks any respect for the other person.
* Jumps and rampage around the room, infringe other people's space.
* Has a genuine defect in understanding of other person.
* Never tries to flatter or tries to be nice.
* Is aggressive and annoying.
* Is spitefulness and cruelly tormented his little brother.
* Has calculated acts of malice. (With uncanny certainty, he manages to do whatever is the most unpleasant
or hurtful in a particular situation.)
* Does not seem to be able to sense how much he hurts others, either physically or mentally.
* Has a sadistic trait and sometimes has distinctly sadistic acts.
* Has a particular sensitivity for the abnormalities of other children.
* Is often tormented and rejected by his classmates simply because he is different and stands out from
the crowd. (His conduct, manner of speech and, not least, often grotesque demeanor cries out to be ridiculed).
* Does not have a sense of humor.
* Does not understand jokes, especially if the joke is on him.

Abnormal Speech
* The voice is soft and far away.
* The voice sounds refined and nasal.
* The voice is too shrill and ear-splitting.
* Has sing-song voice.
* The voice does not go down at the end of a sentence.
* The speech sounds like exaggerated verse-speaking.

Abnormal or Unusual Language
* Has unnatural language that provokes ridicule in the naïve listener.
* Language is not directed to the addressee and is often spoken as if into empty space.
* Has a special creative attitude towards language.
* Has a spontaneous way with words and can produce novel but apt expressions.
* The choice of words can be quite unusual.

Unusual Interests and knowledge of certain topics
* Has a particular interest in certain subject (e.g., natural sciences, chemistry,).
* Has specialised technological interests and knows an incredible amount about complex machinery.
* Has specialised interests in experiments which create noise and smells.
* Was obsessed with poisons and had a most unusual knowledge in this area (and possessed a large
collection of poisons).
* Was preoccupied by numbers.
* Has crackpot interests which are of no practical use (e.g., knows the name of the saint for every day
of the year, or knows all the train lines of a city with their terminals, or shows other feats of rote memory.
* Has the ability to see things and events around them from a new point of view, which often shows
surprising maturity.
* Has a rare maturity of taste in art.
* Thinks about problems that are usually far beyond the interests of other children of the same age.
* Complex calculations were naturally easy for him without being taught.
* Astonishes teachers with advanced and clever answers but fail miserably at lessons.
* Learns only with the help of elaborate rules and laws.
* Has a surprisingly sophisticated understanding, being able to distinguish between art and kitsch with great confidence.
* Has a special understanding of works of art which are difficult even for many adults. (Can judge accurately the events
represented in the picture, as well as what lies behind them, including the character of the people represented and the
mood that pervades a painting.
* Has clarity of vision.
* Has abstraction ability.

Cognitive Function
* There are numerous unequivocally ret*d people who show the typical and unmistakable characteristics of
autistic psychopathy.

Stereotypies
* Often engaged in stereotypic activities (e.g., rhythmic rocking, monotonous play with a shoelace which
goes on for hours or with a particular toy, for instance, a whip or an old doll, which is treated almost
like a fetish).
* Often enjoys rhythmical beating and hitting, and forming patterned rows with toys, for instance,
sorts toy bricks according to color, form or size, or according to some other unfathomable rule rather
than building with them.
* It is usually impossible to tear him away from his play or preoccupations.

Abnormal Affect
* Tends to become nervous and anxious.
* Is rarely relaxed and carefree.
* When in a merry mood, often strikes one as unpleasant.
* The mood is exaggerated and immoderate.
* Lack the displays of affection.
* Often turns nasty when one tries to be nice to him.
* Has most severe tantrums at any attempt to take away the object of such passionate attachment.
* There are serious rows when the mother dares to throw anything away.

Abnormal Response to Sensory Stimuli
* In the sense of taste - very pronounced likes and dislikes.
* There is often a preference for very sour or strongly spiced food.
* Often there is an insurmountable dislike of vegetables or dairy produce.
* With the sense of touch - abnormally strong dislike of particular tactile sensations for example, velvet,
silk, cotton wool or chalk; cannot tolerate the roughness of new shirts, or of mended socks.
* Cutting fingernails is often the cause of tantrums.
* Washing water can often be a source of unpleasant sensations and, hence, of unpleasant scenes.
* There is hypersensitivity against noise. Yet the same child who is often distinctly hypersensitive to noise
in particular situations, in other situation may appear to be hypo-sensitive. They may appear to be
switched off even to loud noises.
* Has no sense or feeling and may run his fingers over complete strangers as if they were a piece of furniture,
so he imposes himself without shyness on anybody.
Problems with Personal Hygiene
* Does not have a proper attitude towards his own bodies. It is often impossible to teach him the numerous
requirements of cleanliness and physical care.
* Tends to walk about unkempt and unwashed.
* Tends to be extremely messy eaters. (May smear or 'paint' with food while being preoccupied with some strange problem).

Abnormal Relations to Objects
* He takes no notice of the objects in his environment, for instance, he takes little interest in toys.
* He has abnormal fixations. Perhaps he fixates on a whip or a wooden brick or a doll that they never let out
of their sight, and cannot eat or sleep when the 'fetish' is not there.
* The relationship to things is limited to collecting. He accumulates things merely in order to possess them,
not to make something of them, to play with them or to modify them.
* In adulthood the passion for collections often becomes more interesting and selective, in short,
more 'rational', and their mental attitude to collecting improves.
* Has undoubted emotional attachments to animals and to particular people.

Attentional Difficulties
* Follows his own ideas and does not like to be distracted from his thoughts.
* Not interested in directing his attention to outside stimuli (what the school wants him to attend to).
* Obeying only spontaneous impulses and never paying attention to social demands lead to learning failure.
* Prone to being distracted from within.
* Appears like an absent-minded professor.
* Moves constantly and the movements are mostly stereotypic and have no expressive value.

Eating and Sleep Difficulties
* Has a frequent eating difficulty.
* Has frequent sleep difficulties.

Abnormal Sexuality
* Is not interested in heterosexual relationship.
* Does intensive and obstinate masturbation and is difficult to stop.
* Masturbates in public, exhibitionistically, and cannot be made to desist.
* Has homosexual acts.
* Has a tendency to use obscene words
* There is often a definite disharmony, either a weakness or precocity and perversion, but no
harmonious integration of sexuality into the developing personality.



Sora
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31 Mar 2008, 3:36 am

Thank you, that was very interesting. I gather it's a list of traits that Asperger observed in several children, rather than a summarized general observation. I still didn't read his original papers, so that this summary is very welcomed.



Danielismyname
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31 Mar 2008, 3:46 am

Yes, the noteworthy traits that make up Autistic Psychopathy, which doesn't appear any different to Kanner's Infantile Autism, other than including older individuals in the mix.

Of note, young adults were also included; he had a couple of hundred patients, but I'm unsure if this is in relation to them, or just several.



victorvndoom
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31 Mar 2008, 4:03 am

some things i could fish out of the bunch for me

*some people say i mumble (talk inaudable ) when i pick up the phone and dont understand me
*i speak sometimes to load in a store/restaurant then my mom have to silence me or tell me to speak softer
*interupting people when someone is speaking and not knowing when to quit, they have to 'hush' me , had that in some online games (dark age of camelot, 'hush vic') while grouping
(the shopkeeper of the club/keeper i am with has to interupt aswell)
(that is something i need to learn)
*i need to smile more , i have very emotionless face when i talk
*i have a tense and worried look
*i feel like i am born on the wrong planet , surrounded with aliens
*never try to be nice = i learn
*rejected by his class mates : yep
* i have no obsession with numbers but with hystoric dates


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2ukenkerl
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31 Mar 2008, 6:14 am

Danielismyname wrote:
Yes, the noteworthy traits that make up Autistic Psychopathy, which doesn't appear any different to Kanner's Infantile Autism, other than including older individuals in the mix.

Of note, young adults were also included; he had a couple of hundred patients, but I'm unsure if this is in relation to them, or just several.


He WAS looking at the same cross section as kanner.(People had certain symptoms, and were sent to asperger, just as they were with kanner) There were observations he made of a SUBSET of that group that became aspergers. The others fit fine into kanners criteria.


BTW since someone else started... Here are things true of me now, or true of me earlier, or from the POV of others(they mentioned them)...

Abnormal eye gaze
* Hardly ever does the glance fix on a particular object or person.
* The gaze goes past the other person or, at most, touches them incidentally in passing.
* Glance does not meet glance as it does when unity of conversational contact is established.
* Does not generally bother to look at the person who is speaking.
* Faraway glance

Abnormal facial and gestural expression
* Has a paucity of facial and gestural expression.
* Sometimes has a tense, worried look.
* There is a paucity of other expressive movements/gestures.

Abnormal Social Relationship
* Increased personal distance.
* As if alone in the world.
* Dwells among people as if a stranger or an alien.
* Sits preoccupied, perhaps apart in a corner, or even in the middle of a happy, noisy group of siblings
or peers, and is inaccessible in his preoccupation.
* Is irritated if someone breaks into his isolation.
* Has an obsession of going his own way in all circumstances and exclusively use of his own self-invented procedures.
* Lacks any respect for the other person.
* Has a genuine defect in understanding of other person.
* Never tries to flatter or tries to be nice.
* Has a particular sensitivity for the abnormalities of other children.
* Is often tormented and rejected by his classmates simply because he is different and stands out from
the crowd.).
* Does not have a sense of humor.
* Does not understand jokes, especially if the joke is on him.

Abnormal Speech
* The voice is soft and far away.
* Has sing-song voice.

Abnormal or Unusual Language
* Has a special creative attitude towards language.
* Has a spontaneous way with words and can produce novel but apt expressions.
* The choice of words can be quite unusual.

Unusual Interests and knowledge of certain topics
* Has a particular interest in certain subject (e.g., natural sciences, chemistry,).
* Has specialised technological interests and knows an incredible amount about complex machinery.
* Has the ability to see things and events around them from a new point of view, which often shows
surprising maturity.
* Thinks about problems that are usually far beyond the interests of other children of the same age.
* Astonishes teachers with advanced and clever answers
* Has clarity of vision.
* Has abstraction ability.


Stereotypies
* Often engaged in stereotypic activities
* It is usually impossible to tear him away from his play or preoccupations.

Abnormal Affect
* Tends to become nervous and anxious.
* Is rarely relaxed and carefree.
* When in a merry mood, often strikes one as unpleasant.
* The mood is exaggerated and immoderate.
* Lack the displays of affection.
* There are serious rows when the mother dares to throw anything away.

Abnormal Response to Sensory Stimuli
* In the sense of taste - very pronounced likes and dislikes.
* There is often a preference for very sour or strongly spiced food.
* With the sense of touch - abnormally strong dislike of particular tactile sensations for example, velvet,
silk, cotton wool or chalk; cannot tolerate the roughness of new shirts, or of mended socks.
* There is hypersensitivity against noise.

Attentional Difficulties
* Follows his own ideas and does not like to be distracted from his thoughts.
* Not interested in directing his attention to outside stimuli (what the school wants him to attend to).
* Prone to being distracted from within.
* Appears like an absent-minded professor.
* Moves constantly and the movements are mostly stereotypic and have no expressive value.

Eating and Sleep Difficulties
* Has a frequent eating difficulty.
* Has frequent sleep difficulties.



Danielismyname
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31 Mar 2008, 7:11 am

It'd be interesting to see how everyone who is diagnosed with AS, AD or PDD-NOS now match to Asperger's descriptions (or those who're self-diagnosed too). I match up well with nearly all of them but some of the aggressive/"inappropriate" behaviors (this is throughout my whole life).

I like these two:

Astonishes teachers...but still sucks at school, and, walking amongst people as if he is an alien. :)



Bubbles117
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31 Mar 2008, 7:45 am

I was looking at the list of characteristics and I tried picking out some in relation to myself.
Thanks for the post btw :D

Stereotypies
* Often enjoys rhythmical beating and hitting, and forming patterned rows with toys, for instance,
sorts toy bricks according to color, form or size, or according to some other unfathomable rule rather
than building with them.

Abnormal Affect
* Tends to become nervous and anxious.
* Is rarely relaxed and carefree( I'm completly opposite, I try to be as optimistic as I can. Although this statment is true when around my family).
* The mood is exaggerated( sometimes).

Abnormal Response to Sensory Stimuli
* There is often a preference for very sour or strongly spiced food.
* Often there is an insurmountable for veg( only peppers, coliflour and cabbage)
* With the sense of touch - abnormally strong dislike of particular tactile sensations for example, velvet,
silk, cotton wool or chalk( I don't like the feel of the the stuff they use for headphones).
* There is hypersensitivity against noise( wouldn't be too bad, I'd just be more aware of disturbing other people. Sometimes I get really paranoid about making noise, especially at night).
*Problems with Personal Hygiene
* Tends to walk about unkempt and unwashed( I call it comfortable although I have become more aware of odour).

Abnormal Relations to Objects
* In adulthood the passion for collections often becomes more interesting and selective, in short,
more 'rational', and their mental attitude to collecting improves.

Attentional Difficulties
* Follows his own ideas and interests.
* Not interested in directing his attention to outside stimuli (what the school wants him to attend to).
* Never paying attention to social demands lead to learning failure( for me I just learn in my own way).
* Prone to being distracted from within.

Eating and Sleep Difficulties
* Has frequent sleep difficulties.

Abnormal Sexuality
* Is not interested.



Transmogrifier
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31 Mar 2008, 7:47 am

Abnormal eye gaze
* The gaze goes past the other person or, at most, touches them incidentally in passing.
* Glance does not meet glance as it does when unity of conversational contact is established.
* Does not generally bother to look at the person who is speaking.

Abnormal facial and gestural expression
* Has a paucity of facial and gestural expression.
* While talking, the face is mostly slack and empty.
* Sometimes has a tense, worried look.
* There is a paucity of other expressive movements/gestures.

Abnormal Social Relationship
Almost all of them, except I have never been aggressive to other kids, I was never bullied either, I kind of stood up for the ostracized kids. I also followed rules and was obedient.

Abnormal Speech
* The voice is soft and far away. (it could also suddenly be very loud for me)

Abnormal or Unusual Language
* Has unnatural language that provokes ridicule in the naïve listener.
* Has a special creative attitude towards language.
* Has a spontaneous way with words and can produce novel but apt expressions.
* The choice of words can be quite unusual.

Unusual Interests and knowledge of certain topics
Almost all of them again, except I was not into understanding machines and was not preoccupied with numbers.

Stereotypies
* Often engaged in stereotypic activities (e.g., rhythmic rocking, monotonous play with a shoelace which goes on for hours or with a particular toy, for instance, a whip or an old doll, which is treated almost like a fetish).
* Often enjoys rhythmical beating and hitting, and forming patterned rows with toys, for instance, sorts toy bricks according to color, form or size, or according to some other unfathomable rule rather than building with them.
* It is usually impossible to tear him away from his play or preoccupations.

Abnormal Affect
* Tends to become nervous and anxious.
* Is rarely relaxed and carefree.

Abnormal Response to Sensory Stimuli
* In the sense of taste - very pronounced likes and dislikes.
* With the sense of touch - abnormally strong dislike of particular tactile sensations for example, velvet, silk, cotton wool or chalk; cannot tolerate the roughness of new shirts, or of mended socks.
* There is hypersensitivity against noise. Yet the same child who is often distinctly hypersensitive to noise in particular situations, in other situation may appear to be hypo-sensitive. They may appear to be switched off even to loud noises.

Problems with Personal Hygiene
I can't stand to be dirty, I have to take a very thorough bath everyday

Abnormal Relations to Objects
* The relationship to things is limited to collecting. He accumulates things merely in order to possess them, not to make something of them, to play with them or to modify them.
* Has undoubted emotional attachments to animals and to particular people.

Attentional Difficulties
* Follows his own ideas and does not like to be distracted from his thoughts.
* Not interested in directing his attention to outside stimuli (what the school wants him to attend to).
* Prone to being distracted from within.
* Appears like an absent-minded professor.
* Moves constantly and the movements are mostly stereotypic and have no expressive value.

Eating and Sleep Difficulties
No such difficulties

Abnormal Sexuality
(lets just skip this part)



I am self-diagnosed with AS, not completely sure whether I really have it though.



Last edited by Transmogrifier on 31 Mar 2008, 7:55 am, edited 1 time in total.

Sora
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31 Mar 2008, 7:49 am

I had these as a child, but I don't think these are traits of AS:
* Is disobedient and has frequent negativistic reactions including refusing to do what one is required to do
or doing exactly the opposite
* Is aggressive and annoying.
* Is spitefulness and cruelly tormented his little brother. [insert other children here]
* Has calculated acts of malice. (With uncanny certainty, he manages to do whatever is the most unpleasant
or hurtful in a particular situation.)
* Has a sadistic trait and sometimes has distinctly sadistic acts.

I wonder which child that was, sounds very interesting. Too bad it doesn't give a name here.



2ukenkerl
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31 Mar 2008, 8:48 am

Sora wrote:
I had these as a child, but I don't think these are traits of AS:
* Is disobedient and has frequent negativistic reactions including refusing to do what one is required to do
or doing exactly the opposite
* Is aggressive and annoying.
* Is spitefulness and cruelly tormented his little brother. [insert other children here]
* Has calculated acts of malice. (With uncanny certainty, he manages to do whatever is the most unpleasant
or hurtful in a particular situation.)
* Has a sadistic trait and sometimes has distinctly sadistic acts.

I wonder which child that was, sounds very interesting. Too bad it doesn't give a name here.


At one point, I actually thought THAT was what autism was! It always seemed to be associated with tantrums, and hostile or defiant behaviour. I am certainly not like that, and it seems few here are.



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31 Mar 2008, 8:54 am

Interesting read, thanks for posting.


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31 Mar 2008, 8:58 am

Sora wrote:
I had these as a child, but I don't think these are traits of AS:
* Is disobedient and has frequent negativistic reactions including refusing to do what one is required to do
or doing exactly the opposite
* Is aggressive and annoying.
* Is spitefulness and cruelly tormented his little brother. [insert other children here]
* Has calculated acts of malice. (With uncanny certainty, he manages to do whatever is the most unpleasant
or hurtful in a particular situation.)
* Has a sadistic trait and sometimes has distinctly sadistic acts.

I wonder which child that was, sounds very interesting. Too bad it doesn't give a name here.

Possibly a child who also had ADHD? I don't know if it's indicative of one thing over the other or it's maybe just my personality, but I can come off as "aggressive and annoying" or as though I'm intentionally trying to be mean when that's not my intent at all. Some teachers and other students (and siblings) think someone like me is sadistic or malicious. ADHD + worse than usual social/communication skills can look very bad, easy to misinterpret.



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31 Mar 2008, 9:01 am

2ukenkerl wrote:
Sora wrote:
I had these as a child, but I don't think these are traits of AS:
* Is disobedient and has frequent negativistic reactions including refusing to do what one is required to do
or doing exactly the opposite
* Is aggressive and annoying.
* Is spitefulness and cruelly tormented his little brother. [insert other children here]
* Has calculated acts of malice. (With uncanny certainty, he manages to do whatever is the most unpleasant
or hurtful in a particular situation.)
* Has a sadistic trait and sometimes has distinctly sadistic acts.

I wonder which child that was, sounds very interesting. Too bad it doesn't give a name here.


At one point, I actually thought THAT was what autism was! It always seemed to be associated with tantrums, and hostile or defiant behaviour. I am certainly not like that, and it seems few here are.


Number one is quite common for people with AS, so is 2.

I have and had the last two; as well as 1 to an extreme extent. Number 1 actually stops me from being employed in a menial position as I have extreme defiance to orders, people telling me what to do, not listening or caring for authority, etcetera.



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31 Mar 2008, 9:04 am

My son who has been diagnosed PDD-NOS matches about 2/3 of that list, as a matter of fact, I think that list describes him better then any of the existing ASD criteria today. I only meet about 14 of all all 102 items listed.



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31 Mar 2008, 9:23 am

2ukenkerl wrote:
At one point, I actually thought THAT was what autism was! It always seemed to be associated with tantrums, and hostile or defiant behaviour. I am certainly not like that, and it seems few here are.


That's my impression too. It's more like, autistic people are usually very friendly and peaceful. That which is perceived as violent or oppositional behaviour is often a result of misunderstood behaviour. I just looked this up and Asperger's first case was like that. The others aren't. Only Fritz (awesome name...)




Unrelated to the above, Asperger also wrote that:

- every person with AS has different traits of 'autistic psychopathy'
- AS is recognisable as early as in a 2-year-old
- a different type if intelligence which is characterised by spontaneous creativity, but trouble with automatised tasks
- above average ability to self-reflection and the ability of keen observation of their surroundings
- good recognition of the character of other people (unrelated to direct social interaction)
- intelligence level ranges from giftedness to mental retardation

I haven't read further yet.



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31 Mar 2008, 9:34 am

That's interesting to read. Asperger was a pioneer so some of his generalizations are not widely accepted today, such as attributing homosexuality and sadism to his patients. I've read some autistic adults' descriptions of how they used to enjoy provoking people as children because it produced such interesting patterns and colours, but even for those who have that trait it's not sadism.

Needless to say, his observations are based on a very small sample of people. But some of it is uncannily familiar. :o