Definition
The epidemiology of Asperger syndrome refers to what is known about its prevalence and course.
Historical Background
On considering the epidemiology of a disorder, consistency as regards its definition is particularly pertinent, as the prevalence of a disorder may vary if researchers use different syndrome-defining criteria. This is relevant when discussing the epidemiology of Asperger syndrome (AS) for several reasons. First, even before AS was included in the most recent versions of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD, 10th edition, World Health Organization [WHO], 1993) and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM, Volume IV, American Psychiatric Association [APA], 1994), clinicians, eager to diagnose this disorder, developed their own sets of criteria (Klin, McPartland, & Volkmar, 2005). Notably, the first two epidemiological surveys of Asperger syndrome, discussed later, both used such “clinician-driven” criteria. The relatively...
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Woodbury-Smith, M. (2013). Asperger Syndrome Epidemiology. In: Volkmar, F.R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1698-3_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1698-3_2
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