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Asperger's Syndrome: To be or Not to Be?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Jacob Kerbeshian
Affiliation:
Department of Neuroscience, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND
Larry Burd*
Affiliation:
Child Evaluation and Treatment Program, Medical Center Rehabilitation Hospital, the Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology, University of North Dakota School of Medicine, and the Center for Teaching and Learning, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND
Wayne Fisher
Affiliation:
The Kennedy Institute, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Md, USA
*
MCRH, University Station Box 8202, Grand Forks, ND 58202, USA

Abstract

It has been questioned whether Asperger's syndrome (AS) is in fact a specific (high-functioning) subgroup of autism, rather than a distinct entity. Thirteen AS patients were compared with 13 autistic patients and 13 developmentally disordered controls. While there was symptom overlap between AS and autism, patients could be separated into one or other group. However, current criteria are based on symptoms, and it is argued that studies of genetics and treatment response are needed to elucidate the relationship between these developmental disorders.

Type
Lecture
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1990 

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