What, If Any, Advantages Does A Person With Asperger Syndrome Have Over Other Adults?

Nov. 7, 2008 -- Question: What, if any, advantages does a person with Asperger syndrome have over other adults?

Answer: There are advantages to having Asperger's syndrome or even some forms of autism in some situations compared to other adults. The ability to be intensely interested in something, the ability to keep track of seemingly unrelated facts, are very useful in computer fields, in engineering, in chemical engineering in particular. The ability to think in pictures is very useful. Many children with ADHD think in pictures. That's the attention deficit disorder. Many children with Asperger's syndrome and adults say they think in pictures.

This is terrifically useful, and these are very useful brains to have.

It's the social interactions which are a problem for the children and adults and that is the area, in addition to communication, that we have to work on the most.