Autism or Asperger’s?

With the new release of the DSM-V in May 2013 we no longer see Asperger’s listed as a disorder. Autism and all of its related subsets (i.e., pervasive developmental disorder, Asperger’s Syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, etc.) were put under one big umbrella – Autism Spectrum Disorder. Three levels of severity were assigned, three being the most severe symptoms and one being the least. In some ways this brought more attention to the fact that Autism is very much a spectrum disorder. There is a popular saying among the autism community, “If you’ve met one autistic child, you’ve met one autistic child.” This highlights the fact that each individual with this diagnosis is unique within the context of their diagnosis.

Unfortunately, this merger also included Asperger’s Syndrome. Many clinicians and families are beginning to recognize this as a detriment because Asperger’s Syndrome has a distinct presentation from Autism Spectrum Disorder. Autism is characterized by deficits (which range in severity) in three areas: impaired social interaction, communication, and restricted stereotypical behavior patterns. It is a spectrum disorder because these symptoms can manifest in various forms and with different intensity. People with Asperger’s display deficits in the same areas, but with one distinct difference; Asperger’s clients have a desire to interact socially, but cannot do so fluidly or appropriately. They are highly egocentric and tend to talk only about their preferred interests, ignoring the subtle nonverbal cues of others who may portray boredom or impatience with the topic.

Not only do we see these differences play out in one’s life, but when we take a look at the brain, via an EEG recording, we see differences between the brains of those with Autism and those with Asperger’s. For example, an EEG recording of an Autistic individual typically shows differences from the normal population at sites F3 and F4. These sites are closest to the region of the brain that produces mirror neurons. In Asperger’s clients, there are often distinct differences from the normative database (those who do not have any psychological diagnosis) at the F6 site. F6 is close to Broca’s area which is responsible for speech production.

What do you think? Should Asperger’s Syndrome remain a distinct diagnosis from Autistic Spectrum Disorder? We’d love to hear your thoughts. Comment below!