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Published on: March 27, 2012
[Asperger syndrome in childhood: review of four cases]
Insights
This study presents Asperger syndrome (AS), a developmental disorder, in four children. Findings reveal distinct cognitive profiles and challenges with social understanding, despite improved autonomy.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Clinical Psychiatry
Background:
- Asperger syndrome (AS) is a pervasive developmental disorder recently incorporated into international classifications.
- Understanding AS is crucial for early diagnosis and intervention.
Observation:
- Case study of four children diagnosed with Asperger syndrome.
- Data collection included developmental history, neuropsychological assessments, and video recordings.
- Medical imaging (EEG, cerebral MRI) was utilized for two patients.
Findings:
- Patients aged 10-16 years exhibited heterogeneous intellectual functioning.
- A common pattern involved high verbal skills contrasting with lower non-verbal abilities.
- Language was sophisticated yet pragmatic, with inflexible comprehension; diagnosis averaged at age 10.
- Despite improvements in sociability and autonomy, patients were aware of and distressed by their differences.
Implications:
- Highlights the need for increased awareness and understanding of Asperger syndrome in clinical practice.
- Suggests the importance of tailored interventions addressing specific cognitive and social challenges.
- Emphasizes the psychological impact of AS, necessitating support for affected individuals.
Introduction:
Asperger syndrome is a pervasive developmental disorder included lately in the international classifications.
Observations:
We report the observations of four children presenting this syndrome. For every patient, we collected antecedents and psychomotor development; we made neuropsychological assessment and video recording. Three patients underwent an EEG and one a cerebral MRI.
Results:
These patients were between ten- and sixteen-year old. The neuropsychological assessment showed a heterogeneous intellectual functioning with three times out of four a dissociation between high verbal level and low non-verbal level. Their language appeared sophisticated, apragmatic, their comprehension was inflexible. The mean age at diagnosis was ten years. They showed a sociability and autonomy improvement but they were conscious of their difference and suffered from it.
Conclusion:
Our four cases allow to present Asperger syndrome, slightly known in France. Collaborative studies and genetic studies are necessary to improve the knowledge of this syndrome.
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