(KRT) - Sandy and Mike Mendel call it "the zone." It's the state of mind their bright 7-year-old son Brandon enters whenever he's focused on something so intensely nothing else matters.

The problem is, it happens regularly: at school, on the playground, at home with his family in Sunnyvale.

"At those times, it's hard to get to him," said Sandy Mendel, a part-time program manager at Sun Microsystems. "I have to go up to him and maybe touch his face to get him to look at my face to pay attention. It's a zone. It's really odd."

Brandon has Asperger's syndrome, a mild form of autism that, like most forms, overwhelmingly afflicts boys. In some circles, the condition is known as the "geek syndrome"_a characterization that experts say is not only unfounded but unfair to children with Asperger's and their families.

Asperger's differs from other autism disorders that become apparent during toddler years. It is usually diagnosed at 7 or 8, about the time children with the condition begin lifelong challenges with critical thinking and connecting with others. Their subsequent behavior becomes a problem in schools.

Named after Austrian pediatrician Hans Asperger, the condition is characterized by normal intelligence and language development, but a lack of social and emotional reciprocity with others. Avoiding eye contact is common. People with Asperger's often develop repetitive patterns of behavior, and abnormal preoccupations with certain interests or objects. They have problems making friends with others their age.

The so-called "geek syndrome" focused attention on the Bay Area after an article in Wired Magazine last year suggested that Asperger's may be more prevalent in places like Silicon Valley with its high concentration of engineers, computer scientists, mathematicians and physicists - themselves probably prone to Asperger's - who may have passed on the genes to their children. Experts say it's a provocative theory, but there is no evidence to support it.

In Brandon's case, neither of his parents fits that occupational mold. And in many ways, he is a typical boy. He's obsessed with all things "Star Wars; he likes to play games; and his grades are excellent.

But the manifestations of Asperger's are obvious. The second-grader with an IQ of 137 is so singularly focused on himself and his own world that he has a hard time relating to others. If he is working on an assignment at school and someone finishes before him, he might begin to cry, or scream out, "That's not fair!"

"If he goes off by himself, he does well," said Sandy Mendel. "But if he is out on the playground playing with other kids, it's hard to stay calm."

No one knows how many people suffer from Asperger's. State statistics on developmental disorders don't offer specific numbers on the condition. But Silicon Valley teachers and therapists believe that, like autism, it's growing.

At the California Department of Developmental Services, senior psychologist Ron Huff said there are no official state numbers for Asperger's because these individuals typically function at a higher level, making them ineligible to qualify for services.

"But we know that the families we see who have persons with Asperger's would like to have access to services that are effective and meaningful for the adolescent and older person with Asperger's," said Huff.

Until then, families are seeking help from schools and private therapists.

At her San Jose clinic, speech pathologist Michelle Garcia Winner sees mostly children and teenagers - and some adults - like Brandon all the time. "On paper, they may be very smart," said Garcia Winner. "But they have a limited ability to get along in the world."

So limited, in fact, that even with therapy, Asperger's individuals face a lifelong struggle. As they age, experts say, they often suffer from depression; they can have difficulty finding or keeping jobs, setting goals or making plans; and forming relationships or families.

"There is no hard or fast cure for autism or Asperger's," said Garcia Winner. "You don't grow out of it with age. But you can get more self-awareness, which often helps you develop better strategies for coping with it."

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Contact Tracy Seipel at tseipel(AT)sjmercury.com or (408) 920-5343.

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© 2002, San Jose Mercury News (San Jose, Calif.).

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