[HOME to OASIS] [IMPORTANT NEWS] [BOOKSTORE] [MESSAGE BOARDS] ASPERGER SYNDROME Stephen Bauer, M.D., M.P.H.
Click Here for Dr. Bauer's Bio Introduction Epidemiology Definition Clinical Features ... Thoughts for Management in School
Introduction: Asperger syndrome (also called Asperger disorder) is a relatively new category of developmental disorder, the term having only come into more general use over the past fifteen years. Although a group of children with this clinical picture was originally and very accurately described in the 1940's by a Viennese pediatrician, Hans Asperger, Asperger Syndrome (AS) was "officially" recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders for the first time in the fourth edition published in l994. Because there have been few comprehensive review articles in the medical literature to date and because AS is probably considerably more common than previously realized, this discussion will endeavor to describe the syndrome in some detail and to offer suggestions regarding management. Students with AS are not uncommonly seen in mainstream educational settings, although often undiagnosed or misdiagnosed, so this is a topic of some importance for educational personnel, as well as for parents. Asperger syndrome is the term applied to the mildest and highest functioning end of what is known as the spectrum of pervasive developmental disorders (or the autism Since AS itself shows a range or spectrum of symptom severity, many less impaired children who might meet criteria for that diagnosis receive no diagnosis at all and are viewed as "unusual" or "just different,"or are misdiagnosed with conditions such as Attention Deficit Disorder, emotional disturbance, etc. Many in the field believe that there is no clear boundary separating AS from children who are "normal but different." The inclusion of AS as a separate category in the new DMS-4, with fairly clear criteria for diagnosis, should promote greater consistency of labeling in the future. | |
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