Did Asperger's Cases Have Asperger Disorder? A Research Note

With publication of the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-IV), standardized criteria for Asperger Disorder, a putative subtype of Pervasive Developmental Disorder, are now available. This paper examines the four cases Asperger originally presented in his seminal paper (1991/1994), using DSM-IV criteria to determine whether a diagnosis of Autistic or Asperger Disorder is most appropriate. We found that all four cases met DSM-IV criteria for Autistic Disorder, rather than Asperger Disorder. This suggests that the syndrome Asperger originally described may not be captured by present diagnostic criteria. Implications for future research are discussed.