title: Comparison of diagnostic methods for asperger syndrome.
abstract: Several different diagnostic sets of criteria exist for Asperger syndrome (AS), but there is no agreement on a gold standard. The aim of this study was to compare four diagnostic sets of criteria for AS: the ICD-10, the DSM-IV, the Gillberg & Gillberg, and the Szatmari criteria. The series consists of 36 children who had been referred to two centers with a tentative diagnosis of AS. The best agreement was between the ICD-10 and the DSM-IV criteria (Kappa coefficient 0.48), and the lowest between the Gillberg & Gillberg and Szatmari criteria (Kappa coefficient -0.21). The poor agreement between these sets of diagnostic criteria compromises the comparability of studies on AS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Child Neurology, HUCH Hospital for Children and Adolescents, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Kristiina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kopra
authors.forename: Lennart
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: von Wendt
authors.forename: Taina
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nieminen-von Wendt
authors.forename: E Juulia
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Paavonen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D020817:Asperger Syndrome / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D038801:International Classification of Diseases; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D009633:Nonverbal Communication; D010552:Personality Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011596:Psychomotor Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012919:Social Behavior; D013239:Stereotyped Behavior