Asperger’s Syndrome is another name for High-functioning Autism. It was first identified in 1944 by Austrian pediatrician Hans Asperger after he noticed children in his practice, who displayed clumsiness, showed little empathy for their peers, and lacked nonverbal communication skills. These children had extreme difficulty socially integrating with others leading to social isolation. This is a characteristic displayed by all children with Asperger’s Syndrome. Either as a result of the social isolation or as another symptom of the genetic wiring of people with Asperger’s a.k.a. Aspies, they often sustain high levels of anxiety. This is one reason why it’s important to identify Asperger’s Syndrome early in life. Anxiety and stress can cause numerous health problems that lead to a low standard of living. As an Aspie that did not discover she had Asperger’s Syndrome until adulthood, I can attest to that.
Now, I want you to know that I am not a doctor. I hold no degree. I can only speak from experience. I believe coincidences rarely happen and have been driven to discover exactly why I’ve had the health issues I have had. If any of this resonates with you, I encourage you to do your own research.
As a child, I was extremely anxious to the point I became sick to my stomach every time I had a school function to attend. I was an emotional eater and the stresses of not fitting in with other children my age caused me to compensate with food. I was overweight, which led to teasing and bullying, and I didn’t lose any of that extra weight until high school when I adopted a very active routine.
I lost more weight when I started college, where I had new opportunities to make friends. As freshman, thousands of us were thrown into a new environment on the same terms, and no one knew me as the awkward person I was the first twelve years of school. So, I made friends of my dormmates right away, but it was extremely stressful trying to maintain relationships. My anxiety became too much and my immune system became compromised. I became infected with Epstein-Barr, a virus that is carried by over 90% of people. Most people show no symptoms of the virus. If they do, it’s no worse than the flu. However, for the few people who have weak immune systems (caused by stress or other diseases), Epstein-Barr can be debilitating. I was forced to leave college, because I didn’t have enough energy to attend classes.
A year after I had Epstein-Barr, I started to have extreme pain in my torso. An ultra-sound revealed that I had gall stones – little tiny ones that were threatening to clog passageways. As a result, I had to have my gall bladder removed. Gall issues such as this have been linked to both Epstein-Barr and stress. In the case of Epstein-Barr, it has been known to weaken the liver, which produces the bile that the gall bladder holds. In the case of stress, studies have shown that stress causes the gall bladder to hold onto bile and not dispel it properly. When the gall bladder is constantly holding onto that bile, difficulties can arise. Either way, I’m sure that they’re linked.
Since my surgery, I’ve had other developments – hair loss, premature graying, depression, chronic fatigue, etc. Most recently, I have developed a rash called Pityriasis rosea that looks a bit like Ring Worm. According to my doctor, it has no determined cause or cure, but can be brought on by stress. Needless to say, it’s a bit embarrassing, because it developed primarily on my neck and is hard to hide.
I truly believe that if my parent’s had known early on that I had Asperger’s Syndrome, I could have had therapy to help me minimize the effects of stress. Since knowing I have Asperger’s, I’ve been better able to identify the environments and situations that raise my anxiety levels. I can now avoid them or mentally prepare myself. I only hope that parents who suspect there might be something wrong with their child’s development will take the time to have their child examined. It could make a difference in their child’s current and future physical health.