The prevalence of Asperger Syndrome appears to be increasing, yet many individuals are still not being diagnosed during their school years. It is imperative to disseminate knowledge regarding the characteristics of Asperger Syndrome to parents and educational, mental health, and medical professionals so that this condition can be recognized early and appropriate interventions can be provided to assist individuals with Asperger Syndrome in coping successfully. Asperger syndrome is a disorder that has received relatively little public attention. This severely debilitating condition, classified as a subcategory of pervasive developmental disorders, may affect as many as 7 children out of every 1,000.It is particularly troubling that many of the characteristics associated with this disorder (e.g., no delay in language, adaptive behavior, or cognitive development) fall within the extreme ranges of "normal" behavior, making a definitive diagnosis problematic. (California Department of Education. (1999)
Hans Asperger, an Austrian psychiatrist, is credited with identifying a condition he termed autistic psychopathy to describe an abnormal personality. Because psychopathy suggests sociopathic behavior to the public mind, the more neutral term Asperger syndrome (AS) is preferable Pervasive developmental disorders, ranging from AS at the less severe end of the spectrum to classic autism at the more dysfunctional end of the continuum, may be characterized by assessments of three broad domains: (a) dysfunction in the use of language, (b) dysfunction in the development of social skills, and (c) the presence of certain behavioral abnormalities. AS has been defined as a "severe developmental disorder characterized by major difficulties in social interaction and restricted and unusual patterns of interest and behaviors. A generalized description of someone with AS would be an individual who is high-functioning autistic and intelligent although often absent-minded..............
