Robin 最近被发现有bipolar (即两极症，或者称为狂躁抑郁症)，刚刚在医院住了两个礼拜，才出院。听到这个消息我吃了一惊，因为我们虽然对Robin 了解很有限(只是知道她琴艺非常出色，刚刚13岁就已经在拉帕格尼尼的曲子了，儿子一直以她为赶超目标，可能也是因为这个才会问起她的情况)，但她从外表看来和一般的孩子没有什么两样，怎么会得这种严重的精神疾病呢？我知道她一直是home schooled，她的妈妈本人也是搞音乐的，她的父母大概是一门心思想要把她培养成专业提琴手，因此她每天练琴5-6个小时。加上天份很高，她的琴艺在最近几年突飞猛进，一直是儿子羡慕并有点不服气的对象。现在知道她有这个问题，我真的很难想象她的父母会如何应对？
AS 是autism spectrum 中的一种，是属于highly functioning, 患者语言和其他认 知方面毛没有自闭症典型的问题，但在与人交往方面有严重障碍，比如多次重复同 样的问题或者词语，不注意别人的一些subtle clues比如肢体语言等等。我对此了 解不多，但从书面的定义来看和这个孩子有些相符。当然也可能是因为home school 的缘故，但从我知道的一些home school 的孩子来看，多数有或多或少的peculiar behavior or characteristics，要么是天份太高，要么是社交方面有些困难，但有 很多人认为home school 本身就会对孩子的社交能力有负面的作用。所以到底什么 是因什么是果真的很难说。
Asperger syndrome 我还是第一次听说。 我在wiki上搜到的信息 Asperger syndrome (pronounced /ˈasˌpərgɘr ˌsɪndrəʊm/ in the U.S., /ˈasˌpəːgɘ/ in Britain; also called Asperger's syndrome, Asperger's disorder, Asperger's or AS) is one of several autism spectrum disorders (ASD) characterized by difficulties in social interaction and by restricted, stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests and activities. AS is distinguished from the other ASDs in having no general delay in language or cognitive development. Although not mentioned in standard diagnostic criteria, motor clumsiness and atypical use of language are frequently reported.
Asperger syndrome is named after Austrian pediatrician Hans Asperger who, in 1944, described children in his practice who lacked nonverbal communication skills, failed to demonstrate empathy with their peers, and were physically clumsy. Fifty years later, AS was standardized as a diagnosis, but questions about many aspects of AS remain. For example, there is lingering doubt about the distinction between AS and high-functioning autism (HFA);[4] partly due to this, the prevalence of AS is not firmly established. The exact cause of AS is unknown, although research supports the likelihood of a genetic basis; brain imaging techniques have not identified a clear common pathology.
