Clinical evidence that Asperger's disorder is a mild form of autism.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study is to obtain clinical evidence to test the hypothesis that Asperger's disorder (AD) is a mild form of autism (AU).


METHODS
A 78-item Likert scale (the RAADS) was administered to 25 adults with AD and 19 with AU (ages, 18-65 years) to assess presence, type, and duration of symptoms.


RESULTS
The following results were found: (a) subjects with AD and AU have similar symptoms throughout adulthood (responses to 72 of 78 questions were not significantly different); (b) subjects with AD had a significantly fewer total number of symptoms; (c) subjects with AD reported nonsignificantly fewer symptoms in the DSM-IV-TR domains of social interaction and repetitive patterns of behavior; and (d) subjects with AD had significantly fewer symptoms in the communication domain.


CONCLUSIONS
The data support the hypothesis that AD is a mild form of AU, and that they share a common etiology and developmental neuropathology. It appears warranted in future diagnostic manuals to incorporate AU and AD into 1 diagnostic category such as, "Autism Spectrum Disorder, (with modifiers, severe, moderate, mild, atypical, and Asperger's type)."
Yale University School of Medicine, Yale Child Study Center, New Haven, CT 06520, USA. ariella.ritvo@yale.edu
Riva
R
Ariella Ritvo
Edward R
ER
Ritvo
Donald
D
Guthrie
Max J
MJ
Ritvo
D000328:Adult; D020817:Asperger Syndrome / Q000523:psychology*; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D001519:Behavior; D003142:Communication; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales