Regarding Asperger's syndrome, a brief account
Marçal is a 35-year-old man who works as a librarian in a small coastal town north of Palamós. He lives alone in a house on the outskirts. Individualistic, solitary, introverted, he is impeccably polite to his neighbors, yet distant.
The selection and organization required by his work in the library gives him immense pleasure. He has no known partner… “Marçal has never been interested in women or men… as far as we know… he prefers books,” say those who have known him all his life. And it’s true that books, unlike people, are constant, orderly, structured; they don’t surprise you once you’ve read them, and he… he has every single book memorized!
Asperger's Syndrome, a unique way of understanding the world
But Marçal's life has never gone unnoticed. If we look back at his past, at school he played alone in the playground with his model trains; he didn't need the company of his classmates. Some laughed at him because of the way he spoke; "he sounded like an adult, not a child," his teacher says.
Nobody understood the strict order of his desk, which made no sense to anyone except him, but if anyone disturbed it, his level of excitement was such that he had to leave the classroom until he calmed down… In short, it was very difficult for him to adapt.”
Nor was his family life easy, even though his mother, unconsciously, completely adopted his routines as her own, especially those related to clothing and food. If these didn't coincide with Marçal's weekly schedule , he would become so nervous and anxious that he might break windows and other objects in the house. He would become completely unrestrained... in front of a frightened mother who was powerless to control the situation.
He soon became a well-known and beloved patient of the emergency psychiatrists in Salt.
He found it very difficult to share his problems and emotions. He was extremely honest and didn't understand certain comments from his classmates, which caused him problems at school and in later jobs.
Other peculiarities of his were "his quirks" which were not few, such as, for example, always watching the same part of the movie when returning home from school, sleeping with the same three stuffed animals at the foot of his bed since childhood or repeating his favorite breakfast every Saturday morning.
No one ever doubted his intelligence, although it wasn't reflected in his grades.
She could fluently recite the subway lines of different cities around the world, such as the Moscow Circle or Beijing Metro Line 5, even though she had never been there and did not speak any foreign languages.
Gradually, these hobbies evolved into more adaptive ones, such as reading books on history, geography, astrology…. Fundamental to this change were the regular visits to the Palamós Mental Health Center to see her psychiatrist and psychologist, the support of her teachers at the high school, a loving mother, and, why not say it, the support of the entire town!
With appropriate medication and good psychotherapeutic support, he has managed to control his impulses, improve his rigidity and manias, and find a job that he enjoys every day and feels completely fulfilled in.
Today, if you ask Marçal about his life, he will curtly say that he doesn't need anything more, that we should leave him alone…. His neighbors are proud to have the best librarian.
Asperger's syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by difficulties in social relationships and restricted interests and behaviors, without affecting cognitive development.
Its prevalence is estimated at 0.3-48.4 per 100,000 inhabitants ( Fombonne, 2001 ) and although it can occur alongside other psychiatric disorders, with good treatment and psychotherapeutic approach, proper adaptation and social integration can be achieved in most cases.
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