History Asperger Syndrome

HISTORY

The syndrome is named after the Austrian pediatrician Hans Asperger who, in 1944, studied and described children in his practice who lacked nonverbal communication skills, demonstrated limited empathy with their peers, and were physically clumsy. The modern conception of Asperger syndrome came into existence in 1981 and went through a period of popularization, becoming standardized as a diagnosis in the early 1990s. Many questions remain about aspects of the disorder. There is doubt about whether it is distinct from high-functioning autism (HFA); partly because of this, its prevalenceis not firmly established. It has been decided that the diagnosis of Asperger's be eliminated in DSM-5, to be replaced by a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder on a severity scale.