For children with Asperger's syndrome, what makes them integrate better in the society and educational system? Dr. Anton Titov, MD. What makes children with Asperger’s syndrome thrive in life? Well, that is a very good question. Professor Dr. Ricky Richardson, MD. Because, as I said earlier, they have good skills. You and I don't have such skills. They are also very socially impaired in the sense that they stand out as being different from other children. For example, children with Asperger’s syndrome go on and on describing something that is of interest to them. It is almost like an obsession. Professor Dr. Ricky Richardson, MD. They don't recognize when the listener has had enough of that particular topic. They are very literal, very rigid. But often children with Asperger’s syndrome are very skilled in things like mathematics and computers. Dr. Anton Titov, MD. They are quirky in terms of that behavior. How to get it right for them? Professor Dr. Ricky Richardson, MD. Children with Asperger’s syndrome need to be in an educational setting where their particular intellectual skills are recognized and stimulated. But their more peculiar behavioral traits or quirky behavioral traits should be accommodated. Getting the education right is absolutely critical. I saw a child the other day. He was 13. We put him through the assessment process. His father thought that he was odd. The question was, was this because of a rather peculiar family dynamic? or was there an underlying diagnosis of Asperger’s syndrome? We made a diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome. I told him, the boy, the 13-year-old. He said, "Oh, thank goodness! Now I understand why I am as I am! I have never understood before, but now you have given an explanation." So he was very grateful to be told that he had Asperger's syndrome. Professor Dr. Ricky Richardson, MD. Because then he can understand why other children found him slightly odd and peculiar. He made friends with other children with Asperger's syndrome. This is often the case. Dr. Anton Titov, MD. So there was a sort of group of them who play computer games addictively. When children with Asperger’s syndrome communicate, do they understand each other well? Dr. Anton Titov, MD. Is there a tighter bond between them? Yes, they recognize each other's Asperger symptoms. So they recognize other children with Asperger syndrome. They are drawn to other children with Asperger’s syndrome. Professor Dr. Ricky Richardson, MD. Because they understand each other's behavioral traits. There is data about the children with Asperger syndrome when they grow up into adults. They marry others with Asperger's syndrome. I don’t have a specific reference available to cite you. Professor David Skuse from Great Ormond Street Hospital has some statistics he gave me once. Kids with Asperger's tend to be drawn to other children with the same condition. Professor Dr. Ricky Richardson, MD. Because they feel comfortable and they understand the particular behavioral traits. Dr. Anton Titov, MD. Is there anything known about the second generation children of parents with Asperger syndrome? I haven't got the data. But you can look at the family histories of children with autism or Asperger's syndrome. You almost always find Asperger-type behavior and behavioral traits in other family members. Professor Dr. Ricky Richardson, MD. So there is a strong genetic component running through the diagnosis of Asperger’s syndrome.