Lost in the Social World: How Social Cognitive Deficits Affect Social Functioning of People with Asperger Syndrome

Were we to visualise autism spectrum disorders as a continuum, Asperger syndrome (AS) would be situated at one of its extremes. What appears to determine each individual’s position in this continuum is his or her symptomatology. In the case of AS symptomatology presents itself more discretely. According to Barthelemy (2000), the abovementioned symptomatology can be grouped in three major areas: a) difficulties in development of social interaction; b) difficulties in verbal and nonverbal communication; and c) presence of fixated interests, routines or rituals and repetitive behaviours. Being a developmental disorder, symptoms vary according to age. While some features tend to disappear with …