Synonyms
Asperger syndrome
Definition
Asperger’s disorder refers to a neurodevelopmental disorder, defined in the DSM-IV and more recently removed in the DSM-5, associated with impairment in social relatedness and repetitive or restricted behaviors and interests. Social difficulties characteristic of Asperger’s disorder include nonverbal aspects of social interaction (e.g., eye contact, gestures, and facial expressions) as well as social and emotional reciprocity (e.g., sharing interests, taking turns, and demonstrating empathy). Behaviorally, individuals with Asperger’s disorder often exhibit intense and narrow circumscribed interests, insistence on sameness or routine, and behavioral rigidity (American Psychiatric Association 1994). While overall level of intellectual functioning (i.e., IQ) is not impaired in individuals with Asperger’s disorder, their cognition is often compromised in other areas such as executive functioning (see Neuropsychology and Psychology of Asperger’s...
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Mazurek, M.O., Kanne, S.M. (2018). Asperger’s Disorder. In: Kreutzer, J.S., DeLuca, J., Caplan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_1512
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