Psychological Disorders: Asperger's Disorder
American
Description
A. Qualitative impairment in social interaction, as manifested by
at least two of the following:
1.
marked impairment in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors such
as eye-to-eye gaze, facial expression, body postures, and gestures
to regulate social interaction
2.
failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental
level
3.
a lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interests, or achievements
with other people (e.g., by a lack of showing, bringing, or pointing
out objects of interest to other people)
4.
lack of social or emotional reciprocity
B. Restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests,
and activities, as manifested by at least one of the following:
1.
encompassing preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and restricted
patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity or focus
2.
apparently inflexible adherence to specific, nonfunctional routines
or rituals
3.
stereotyped and repetitive motor mannerisms (e.g., hand or finger
flapping or twisting, or complex whole-body movements)
4.
persistent preoccupation with parts of objects
C. The disturbance causes clinically significant impairment in social,
occupational, or other important areas of functioning.
D. There is no clinically significant general delay in language (e.g.,
single words used by age 2 years, communicative phrases used by age
3 years).
E. There is no clinically significant delay in cognitive development
or in the development of age-appropriate self-help skills, adaptive
behavior (other than in social interaction), and curiosity about the
environment in childhood.
F. Criteria are not met for another specific Pervasive Developmental
Disorder or Schizophrenia.
European
Description
A disorder of uncertain nosological validity, characterized by the
same kind of qualitative abnormalities of reciprocal social interaction
that typify autism, together with a restricted, stereotyped, repetitive
repertoire of interests and activities. The disorder differs from
autism primarily in that there is no general delay or retardation
in language or in cognitive development. Most individuals are of normal
general intelligence but it is common for them to be markedly clumsy;
the condition occurs predominately in boys (in a ratio of about eight
boys to one girl). It seems highly likely that at least some cases
represent mild varieties of autism, but it is uncertain whether or
not that is so for all. There is a strong tendency for the abnormalities
to persist into adolescence and adult life and it seems that they
represent individual characteristics that are not greatly affected
by environmental influences. Psychotic episodes occasionally occur
in early adult life.
Diagnostic
Guidelines
Diagnosis is based on the combination of a lack of any clinically
significant general delay in language or cognitive development plus,
as with autism, the presence of qualitative deficiencies in reciprocal
social interaction and restricted, repetitive, stereotyped patterns
of behaviour, interests, and activities. There may or may not be problems
in communication similar to those associated with autism, but significant
language retardation would rule out the diagnosis.
Includes:
* autistic psychopathy
* schizoid disorder of childhood
Excludes:
* anakastic personality disorder
* attachment disorders of childhood
* obsessive-compulsive disorder
* schizotypical disorder
* simple schizophrenia