Asperger Syndrome History and Diagnosis Criteria

A Little Asperger Syndrome History

Asperger syndrome is estimated to be occurring in 1 out of every 100 children.  That has risen since the 1980's when a study estimated that 36 per 10,000 children were diagnosed with Asperger syndrome.  That might be related to the fact that term or category of Asperger syndrome did not start to used until 1981.  

Misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis of this disorder is a serious problem, and the average age at diagnosis is several years later than for autism.  The problem is this can be a traumatic situation for the individuals and families and since the most effect intervention programs begin early, and the establishment of strategies to manage the conditions to minimize later behavioral problems later in life are most effective at an early age.  

Hans Asperger – The First To Describe The Condition

In 1944 Hans Asperger described a condition he termed autistic psychopathy, characterised by problems in social integration and non-verbal communication associated with idiosyncratic verbal communication and an egocentric preoccupation with unusual and circumscribed interests. Patients with this condition had difficulties with empathy and intuition and had a tendency to intellectualisation. They were also clumsy (50–90% had motor coordination problems), found it hard to take part in team sports and exhibited behavioural difficulties including aggression and being victims of bullying. Asperger did not provide diagnostic criteria for this condition and it remained obscure until a review article by Lorna Wing in 1981.

Lorna Wing's Description of Difficulties For the First 2 Years of Life

Wing renewed interest in the condition, which she renamed Asperger syndrome, and described the following difficulties in the first 2 years of life of children with the condition:

1. a lack of normal interest and pleasure in people around them;

2. a reduction in the quality and quantity of babbling;

3. a significant reduction in shared interests;

4. a significant reduction in the wish to communicate verbally or non-verbally;

5. a delay in speech acquisition and impoverishment of content;

6. no imaginative play or imaginative play confined to one or two rigid patterns.

 

Gilberg's criteria list is widely used as a basis of diagnosis.

In order to be able to get a diagnosis for Asperger Syndrome, all the six criteria must be met



1. Severe impairment in reciprocal social interaction at least two of the following:

a) inability to interact with peers

b) lack of desire to interact with peers

c) lack of appreciation of social cues

d) socially and emotionally inappropriate behavior

2. All-absorbing narrow interest at least one of the following:

a) exclusion of other activities

b) repetitive adherence

c) more rote than meaning





3. Imposition of routines and interests at least one of the following:

a) on self, in aspects of life

b) on others





4. Speech and language problems at least three of the following:

a) delayed development

b) superficially perfect expressive language

c) formal, pedantic language

d) odd prosody, peculiar voice characteristics

e) impairment of comprehension including misinterpretations of literal/implied meanings

5. Non-verbal communication problems at least one of the following:

a) limited use of gestures

b) clumsy/gauche body language

c) limited facial expression

d) inappropriate expression

e) peculiar, stiff gaze

 

 

6.  Motor Clumsiness

 

Poor performance on neuro-developmental examination.

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