In this Monday’s edition (21) of the Medical Correspondent board, of Novo Dia, the neurosurgeon Fernando Gomes addressed the inclusion of Asperger syndrome for the group of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) by the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) of the World Health Organization (WHO).
For Fernando Gomes, it is important to remember that autism, identified as a “disorder”, can have several diagnoses – all with some point in common, with similar orientation and management strategies for the cases. Among the characteristics is neurodevelopmental disorder, when the brain is not born “ready” for behavioral and intelligence issues.
In the case of Asperger’s, there are few differences in relation to autism, contrasting mainly with greater functionality. The difficulty of social interaction – which is not an impossibility –, repetitive behaviors and good mechanical memory are among the most notable points.
“It is very important to understand this and, above all, to diagnose. This makes all the people around them able to welcome that person in a different way so that we have less suffering and more inclusion”, she said.
Responding to the comment of a spectator who reported having a child with level 1 of autism – the 17-year-old has above-average intelligence, but difficulty interacting – Gomes explained that the condition can be considered common for people with ASD.
“Often there is the issue of high functionality. So in some aspect of the manifestation of intelligence, that individual is above average.”
“When you do a neuropsychological assessment, that person might even have an above-average IQ. But it is the issue of social interaction that draws attention and becomes a great challenge, because much more than solving problems, which is the definition of intelligence, we want people to be able to relate to others and have a fuller life,” he said. .
For the neurosurgeon, access to information is essential to get rid of prejudices involving Asperger’s. “It’s not the negative reinforcement that helps. On the contrary, it is positive reinforcement, strengthening what already stands out in the person, but mainly enriching them from the point of view of social interaction”, he concluded.
Source: CNN Brasil
