A Family History Study of Asperger Syndrome

Abstract

Asperger syndrome (AS) is a childhood-onset disorder often described as a mild variant of autism. Although classified as a distinct disorder in the DSM-IV, its overlap with autism continues to be a matter of ongoing debate. While the family genetic origins of autism are well established, few studies have investigated this topic in AS using current operational criteria. In this report, we examined the family psychiatric history of 58 subjects with AS diagnosed according to DSM-IV criteria (48 males; mean age 13.34; mean full scale IQ 104.87). All subjects had a history of mild autistic social deficits; focused special interests; normal level of intelligence; and an odd and often pedantic manner of speaking. None had a previous diagnosis of autism. Of the 58 subjects with Asperger syndrome, three had first degree relatives with AS; nine (15%) had a family history of schizophrenia; and 35 (60%) had a family history of depression. Of the 64 siblings, four had a diagnosis of AS and none of autism. Compared with a group of 39 subjects with normal intelligence autism (high functioning autism, HFA; 33 males; mean age 15.34; mean full scale IQ 85.89) subjects with AS were more likely to have relatives with depression; schizophrenia; and the broader autistic phenotype. Possible reasons for and implications of these findings are discussed.

The genetics of autistic disorders and its clinical relevance: a review of the literature

“…In several studies, rates of 10-45% of social impairment, aloofness, shyness and pragmatic language impairment were present in fathers and mothers of children with autism or AS. [106][107][108][109][110][111][112][113][114] This finding did not differ in parents of children with autism with and without a history of language regression. 115 Regarding obsessive-compulsive behaviours in parents of multiplex autism families, a strong correlation of the severity of restricted repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behaviour, interests and activities in the child and rates of obsessive-compulsive traits or disorders were found in parents.…”

Association of DISC1 with autism and Asperger syndrome

“…59 PDDs in adulthood often fulfil criteria for schizotypal personality disorder 60 and there is evidence that children diagnosed with schizophrenia often have an early history indicating an ASD. 61 Especially persons with AS seem to have an increased risk of BPD, depression and schizophrenia spectrum disorders, 62,63 which further indicates possible shared etiological factors. In this study, three individuals diagnosed with infantile autism and five individuals with AS had a previous clinical diagnosis of schizophrenia.…”

Multi-Approach Intervention in Enhancing Adaptive Behavior of ASD: A within-subject Experimental Design

“…Most of these tasks can be better addressed at home to which the therapy was not designed. This limitation pronounced the need of family involvement to extend or complement the goals beyond the sessions [79].…”

“…Thus, the key to successful treatment lies in devising a plan that takes into account not only the strengths and weaknesses of the affected person, but also the severity and the subtype of the disorder, the age of the individual, the presence of associated medical and psychiatric conditions, the needs of the family, and the availability of resources in the community [79].…”