Asperger’s syndrome is a developmental disorder belonging to a more general category of pervasive developmental disorders. Even though awareness of the presence, diagnostics and therapy of Asperger’s syndrome has risen following included in the DSM-IV (1996), many questions still need to be answered regarding the diagnostics and intervention with children and young adults with Asperger’s syndrome. It is well known that main clinical features of children with Asperger’s syndrome include numerous difficulties in the area of social interaction, communication impairments, narrow and specific interests, notwithstanding the fact that the population with Asperger’s syndrome has an above-average level of intelligence and well developed expressive language skills. The above mentioned “strong sides” are also the main features that differentiate this syndrome and autism. Difficulties arising during social interactions with these children are: lack of understanding of nonverbal signs and emotions, problems in understanding metaphors, irony, sarcasm and difficulties in starting a spontaneous conversation. Further features of children with Asperger’s syndrome include an “egocentric conversation style”, difficulties in abstract reasoning, interests not appropriate for their age, clumsiness in motor skills as well as persistent and repetitive behaviour. Although this disorder is most easily identified when the child starts schools and needs to meet certain demands of the environment (sitting still, not disturbing other children while they are listening, non interrupting etc.), it is important to emphasize that – assuming one knows the course of socio-cognitive development – it is possible and important to recognize and monitor this disorder beginning as early as at preschool age and involving children and parents in the appropriate therapeutic process. As far as etiology of Asperger’s syndrome is concerned, there are different psychological therapies and neurological explanations for difficulties experienced by this group. Further research is needed in this area in order to explain the possible causes and determine an appropriate therapy for individuals suffering from Asperger’s syndrome.

Asperger’s syndrome, social interaction difficulties, communication impairments