Asperger's Syndrome

Asperger's syndrome is a disorder that lies on the autism spectrum. Accordingly, it generates problems with social interactions, repetitive behavior patterns, and narrow, intense interests. It preserves language and cognitive development, unlike more severe forms of autism however. 'Aspies' tend to be physically clumsy and perform poorly with respect to nonverbal communication. Asperger's is not clearly distinguishable from high-functioning autism however. Many including Willey have argued that Asperger cognition is simply a different form of thinking rather than a disability.

'Pretending to be Normal' as a title denotes the fact that Asperger's puts Willey in the awkward and challenging position of pretending to be a normally functioning human being with adequate social skills. Not only must Willey control her temper and organize her life so as to avoid being overstimulated, but she must learn how those with a deeper social sense expect her to behave and act...