Aspergers: Answer to Diagnostic Mysteries?
As a young child, Jayne was consumed by Pokemon, the collectible card game of animated creatures originated in Japan. It was no mere pastime, but an all-encompassing interest that engaged her considerable vocabulary to the exclusion of all other age-appropriate attachments or interests. And it was accompanied by other troubling signs: an inability to make eye contact with others, to engage with peers in a reciprocal fashion, and to make friends. As Jayne matured, her social isolation deepened, as did the uncommon and all-consuming nature of her interests. As a teen, she developed an exhaustive knowledge about everything related to a fast-food chain in the state where she resides. At an age when conformity to the norm is at a premium and castigation of those who deviate is most severe, Jayne inhabits an island of her own inaccessible idiosyncrasy. As little as 14 years ago, she also may have had difficulty getting a psychiatric diagnosis that fit. Too verbal and intellectually