In the 1980s a new definition of some children was heard. They were described as having Asperger Syndrome. This was an enormous relief to parents who had been greatly worried by this son who seemed 'unusual', 'strange', 'not like the others'. A child with Aspergers looks very normal and is often bright but his behaviour is unusual to the point of isolating him from others of his age. He might seem naughty, but without malice. He rarely lies. He speaks to you as if you are his equal and might sound quite old-fashioned. This can get him into trouble, particularly since he can seem very rigid in his expectations; if you said something would happen, he expects that it will. This is the child who has been so focussed on some hobby that he seems to know everything in the world about it, but then he dropped it and moved on. A wonderful child, but complicated. And a worry because you 'feel' there is something wrong but you can't put your finger on it.
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