Asperger Syndrome (AS), although not a newdisability, isreceiving increased attention in the United States and throughout the world. Researchers and practitioners are just beginning to understand this exceptionality that may impact more individuals than autism. This article overviews the behavior, socialization, language, cognition, motor, and sensory characteristics of individuals with Asperger Syndrome. In addition, it highlights some of the controversies associated with the identifying characteristics of AS.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
American Psychological Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
2.
AspergerH. (1944). Die 'Autistichen Psycho-pathen' im Kindersalter. Archiv fur Psychiatrie und Nervenkrankheiten, 117, 76–136.
3.
Baron-CohenS. (1988). An assessment of violence in a young man with Asperger's Syndrome. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 29, 351–360.
4.
Baron-CohenS., AllenJ., & GillbergC. (1992). Can autism be detected at 18 months? The nee-dle, the haystack, and the CHAT. British Journal of Psychiatry, 161, 839–843.
5.
Baron-CohenS., JolliffeT., MortimoreC., & RobertsonM. (1997). Another advanced test of the-ory of mind: Evidence from very high functioning adults with autism or Asperger Syndrome. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 38, 813–822.
6.
Baron-CohenS., LeslieA.M., & FrithU. (1985). Does the autistic child have a 'theory of mind'?Cognition, 21, 37–46.
7.
BerthierM. (1995). Hypomania following bereave-ment in Asperger's Syndrome: A case study. Neuropsychiatry, Neuropsychology, and Behavioral Neurology, 8, 222–228.
8.
BerthierM., SantamariaJ., EncaboH., & TolosaE. (1992). Recurrent hypersomnia in two adoles-cent males with Asperger's Syndrome. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 31, 735–738.
9.
BowlerD. (1992). “Theory of Mind” in Asperger's Syndrome. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 33, 877–893.
10.
BowmanE. P. (1988). Asperger's Syndrome and autism: The case for connection. British Journal of Psychiatry, 152, 377–382.
11.
BurgoineE., & WingL. (1983). Identical triplets with Asperger's Syndrome. British Journal of Psychiatry, 143, 261–265.
12.
CullA., ChickJ., & WolfS. (1984). A consensual validation of schizoid personality in childhood and adult life. British Journal of Psychiatry, 144, 646–648.
13.
DahlgrenS., & TrillingsgaardA. (1996). Theory of mind in non-retarded children with autism and Asperger's Syndrome: A research note. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 37, 759–763.
14.
DaviesS., BishopD., MansteadA., & TantamD. (1994). Face perception in children with autism and Asperger's Syndrome. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 35, 1033–1057.
15.
EavesL., HoH., & EavesD. (1994). Subtypes of autism by cluster analysis. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 24, 3–22.
16.
EhlersS., & GillbergC. (1993). The epidemiology of Asperger Syndrome: A total population study. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 34, 1327–1350.
17.
El-BadriS., & LewisM. (1993). Left hemisphere and cerebellar damage in Asperger's Syndrome. Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine, 10, 22–23.
18.
EllisD., EllisD., FraserW., & DebS. (1994). A preliminary study of right hemisphere cognitive deficits and impaired social judgements among young people with Asperger Syndrome. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 3, 255–266.
19.
FineJ., BartolucciG., SzatmariP., & GinsbergG. (1994). Cohesive discourse in pervasive develop-mental disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 24, 315–329.
20.
FrithU. (1991). Autism and Asperger syndrome. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
21.
GathA. (1989). Theory and therapy of psychosis in childhood: Experience in England. Italian Journal of Intellective Impairment, 2, 123–130.
22.
GhaziuddinM., ButlerE., TsaiL., & GhaziuddinN. (1994). Is clumsiness a marker for Asperger Syndrome?Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 38, 519–527.
23.
GhaziuddinN., MetlerL., GhaziuddinM., TsaiL., & GiordaniB. (1993). Three siblings with As-perger Syndrome: A family case study. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 2, 44–49.
24.
GhaziuddinM., TsaiL., & GhaziuddinN. (1991). Brief report: Violence in Asperger syndrome, a critique. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 21, 349–354.
25.
GhaziuddinM., TsaiL., & GhaziuddinN. (1992). Brief report: A reappraisal of clumsiness as a di-agnostic feature of Asperger Syndrome. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 22, 651–656.
26.
GillbergC. (1989). Asperger Syndrome in 23 Swed-ish Children. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 31, 520–531.
27.
GillbergC. (1990). What is autism?International Review of Psychiatry, 2, 61–66.
28.
GillbergC. L. (1992). Autism and autistic-like Conditions: Subclasses among disorders of empathy. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 33, 813–842.
29.
GillbergC. (1993). Autism and related behaviors. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 37, 343–372.
30.
GillbergI. C., & GillbergC. (1989). Asperger Syn-drome—Some epidemiological considerations: A research note. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 30, 631–638.
31.
GillbergC., NordinC., & EhlersS. (1996). Early detection of autism: Diagnostic instruments for clinicians. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 5, 67–74.
32.
GillbergC., SteffenburgS., & JakobssonG. (1987). Neurobiological findings in 20 relatively gifted children with Kanner-type autism or As-perger syndrome. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 29, 641–649.
33.
KuglerB. (1998). Differentiation between autism and Asperger Syndrome. Journal of Research and Practice in Autism, 2, 11–32.
34.
LeslieA. M. (1987). Pretence and representation: The origins of a “theory of mind”. Psychological Review, 97, 122–131.
35.
LeslieA. M., & FrithU. (1988). Autistic children's understanding of seeing, knowing, and believing. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 6, 315–324.
36.
MarriageK., MilesT., StokesD., & DaveyM. (1993). Clinical and research implications of the co-occurence of Asperger's and tourette syn-dromes. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 27, 666–672.
37.
MawsonD., GroundsA., & TantumD. (1985). Violence and Asperger's Syndrome. British Journal of Psychiatry, 147, 566–569.
38.
SalibaJ. R., & GriffithsM. (1990). Brief report: Autism of the Asperger type associated with an autosomal fragile site. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 20, 569–575.
39.
ScottD. W. (1985). Asperger's Syndrome and non-verbal communication: A pilot study. Psychological Medicine, 15, 683–687.
40.
ScraggP., & ShahA. (1994). Prevalence of Asper-ger's Syndrome in a secure hospital. British Journal of Psychiatry, 165, 679–682.
41.
SimblettG. J., & WilsonD. N. (1993). Asperger's Syndrome: Three cases and a discussion. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 37, 85–97.
42.
StephensD., & MoffittT. (1988). Neuropsycholog-ical profile of an Asperger's Syndrome case with exceptional calculating ability. The Clinical Neuropsychologist, 2, 228–238.
43.
SzatmariP. (1991). Asperger's Syndrome: Diagno-sis, treatment, and outcome. Journal of Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 14, 81–93.
44.
SzatmariP., BartolucciG., FinlaysonA., & KramesL. (1986). A vote for Asperger's Syndrome. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 31, 1171.
45.
SzatmariP., BartolucciG., FinlaysonA., & BremnerR. (1989). Asperger Syndrome and autism: Comparisons on early history and outcome. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 29, 130–136.
46.
SzatmariP., BremnerR., & NagyJ. (1989). Asper-ger's Syndrome: A review of clinical features. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 34, 554–560.
47.
SzatmariP., TuffL., FinlaysonM. A., & BartolucciG. (1990). Asperger's Syndrome and autism: Neu-rocognitive aspects. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 29, 130–136.
48.
TantumD. (1988). Lifelong eccentricity and social isolation II: Asperger's Syndrome or Schizoid Per-sonality Disorder?British Journal of Psychiatry, 153, 783–791.
49.
WilliamsK. (1995). Understanding the student with Asperger Syndrome: Guidelines for teachers. Focus on Autistic Behavior, 10(2), 9–16.
