title: From Asperger'sAutistischen Psychopathento DSM-5 Autism Spectrum Disorder and Beyond: A Subthreshold Autism Spectrum Model.
abstract: Growing interest has recently been devoted to partial forms of autism, lying at the diagnostic boundaries of those conditions previously diagnosed as Asperger's Disorder. This latter includes an important retrieval of the European classical psychopathological concepts of adult autism to which Hans Asperger referred in his work. Based on the review of Asperger'sAutistische Psychopathie, from first descriptions through the DSM-IV Asperger's Disorder and up to the recent DSM-5 Autism Spectrum Disorder, the paper aims to propose a Subthreshold Autism Spectrum Model that encompasses not only threshold-level manifestations but also mild/atypical symptoms, gender-specific features, behavioral manifestations and personality traits associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder. This model includes, but is not limited to, the so-calledbroad autism phenotypespanning across the general population that does not fully meet Autism Spectrum Disorder criteria. From this perspective, we propose a subthreshold autism as a unique psychological/behavioral model for research that could help to understand the neurodevelopmental trajectories leading from autistic traits to a broad range of mental disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, via Roma 67, 56100 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Liliana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dell'Osso
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, via Roma 67, 56100 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Riccardo Dalle
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Luche
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, via Roma 67, 56100 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Camilla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gesi
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, via Roma 67, 56100 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Ilenia
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Moroni
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, via Roma 67, 56100 Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Carmassi
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Naples SUN, Largo Madonna delle Grazie 1, 80138 Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maj
keywords: AdAS spectrum; Asperger's disorder; Autism spectrum disorder; DSM-5; Neuroatypicality; Subthreshold autism spectrum