The Core Of Asperger Syndrome

[Fulgurator]

"Quippe, ut fine conprehendam, daemones sunt genere animalia, ingenio rationabilia, animo passiva, corpore aeria, tempore aeterna." (platonism)

The ancient Greek or Roman physician used the term "passivus" to refer to what Asperger and Leo Kanner described as "socially programmable". "Passivus" in Latin means subject to influence, passive (being the object of external forces), subject to change.
In my view, women are by nature ususally more passive than men and this you can see also through "mimicry" (expression of the face, smiles, frowns, eye-movement). I found that female facial mimicry is more pronounced than in men. That makes sense if we view females as more passive. It would even develop the argument as to why women in various patriarchal societies faced discrimination, i.e. due to passivity (also only passive homosexuality was discriminated against in Rome - not homosexuality per se)
Next point: Some autistic people are exceptionally non passive. Their mental health struggles are rooted in their pathological resistance to social programming, family conditioning or external influences. Just like cats, I believe. On case study Fritz V, it's clear a regular state school found no viable way to "teach" him:
"Fritz V. was born in June 1933 in Austria and was sent to Hans Asperger in autumn of 1939. The school referred him as they considered him "uneducable" by his first day there."
As you might expect, such autistics as Fritz have low facial mimicry, dull eye expression, mask-like expression. They are pathologically independent, resist emotionally communicated cues and stimulae. Such people as Fritz in modern societies may well not even be diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome and the current A.S.D. diagnosis is, in my view, too broad and could cover symptoms too vaguely.
When I consider Asperger's as a possible diagnosis, "animalia animo passiva" I view as a major factor. Did the individual pathologically resist social conditioning and was school disrupted? Were there family cohesion problems?
I found actor Anthony Hopkins - who was diagnosed with mild Asperger's - did actually have major difficulties at school and was ridiculed as "stupid". I had been skeptical till I looked at his background (major school disruption). Hopkins also had some tense family relationship issues. To add icing to the cake, he adores cats, as I found is common in Asperger's, since cats are non-social, solitary animals.
For me it was more severe. I could never have made connections to be an actor, or even act. I do think, though, I could have directed (ability-wise). I share Hopkin's interests in piano and cinema. Your level of social disability, as the case may be, may depend upon what support you got in the earlier years and how pronounced your "disconnection" from the environment is. Open to debate if mine was a wasted life. Accomplishments, yes, but never been able to hold down a job, except once as a security guard.

[Candid]

The school referred him as they considered him "uneducable" by his first day there."

My own observation is that a person with aspergers can't or won't alter his regime. If you live with him, you have to fit around him.

[Fulgurator]

That's called "sameness" and, yes, it applies to me. I do the same things every day and find it very hard to chuck out clothes, despite holes in the knees and worn material. The thing about Asperger's, though, is in my experience it tends to be part of other possible syndromes in a person. Lorna Wing described Asperger's in the 1980s but her patients had co-morbid conditions too. In my case too, Asperger's is part of my condition but not all of it. I even have clear symptoms of Kanner autism since in childhood I had some speech issues and particularly bad motor clumsiness. I came to conclude there are limits to how closely we can pinpoint a diagnosis so these days I tend to be less rigid. I always hated this "I'm an aspie" trend since it seems to give the view it all boils down to a nerdy personality type. In reality, Asperger's is often to be found amongst a whole range of co-morbid syndromes or even with schizophrenia.

[Candid]

I came to conclude there are limits to how closely we can pinpoint a diagnosis so these days I tend to be less rigid. I always hated this "I'm an aspie" trend...

I agree. A label solves nothing.

... since it seems to give the view it all boils down to a nerdy personality type.

I'm nerdy myself, and sometimes give the appearance of OCD. But the labels keep changing, don't they! One (narcissistic and therefore useless) "counsellor" tested me for aspergers and concluded it didn't fit. I could have told her that. I've probably developed mimicry due to living with H. For instance, he's routine-bound and I've had to become the same.

In reality, Asperger's is often to be found amongst a whole range of co-morbid syndromes or even with schizophrenia.

H was once diagnosed schizophrenic but I've never seen any sign of it. We've both had more than one psychosis and been banged up for it. Never again, I swear! If I have to be on knockouts for the rest of my life, so be it. I defy anyone to look like a sane person if they haven't slept for a week or three.

Mostly his aspie tendencies continue to astonish me. Everyone he knows makes demands on him because no matter what the problem, he immediately sees the best solution. To me the bigger problem is that he's deaf and hates hearing aids. I don't know how to get around that. Neighbours have asked if he's violent because they hear me yelling... and it's hard to shout without feeling angry.

[Fulgurator]

Western psychologists seem unaware that very detailed studies decades ago suggest a connection between Asperger's and schizophrenia. If schizophrenia starts in childhood, pretty much the symptoms then are the same as Asperger's. Except....childhood schizophrenia progresses in stages whereas Asperger's does not. So, myself I had all the Asperger symptoms in early childhood but then full blown schizophrenia aged 20 odd. I was never diagnosed at the time by psychiatrists, although maybe they were subtle about it. So, aged 20, I had some physical hallucinations, bones that ached, derealisation and fear. Also, fear in childhood would suggest childhood schizophrenia even though I had all the Asperger symptoms such as motor clumsiness.
Anyway, Asperger's is static and you don't progress to different stages of the disorder, as I did. Psychologists suggested Asperger's is indeed schizophrenia but sort of frozen and static and failing to develop. After much research, I concluded I have both co-morbid. That isn't so uncommon. Finally too, schizophrenia tends to be more psychotic if it develops later in life and, in my case, it started early so I didn't suffer serious loss of reality.