Abstract
The number of children identified with Asperger syndrome (AS) is rapidly rising throughout the world. The purpose of this article is to promote understanding of the characteristics and behaviors associated with AS and to introduce a range of school-based interventions. First, a description of the indicators of AS is provided, followed by an overview of screening and diagnostic procedures. Next, the Application ABCs section covers knowledge-based interventions addressing deficits in Academics, Behavior, and Communication. Implications for speech language pathologists and related professionals working with youngsters with this autistic spectrum disorder are addressed.
As Kanner's discovery of autism was achieving wide acceptance and dissemination, in 1944, Austrian psychiatrist Hans Asperger independently identified a new childhood disorder he called "autistic psychopathy." Largely hidden from the English-speaking world, it was not until 1981 that Lorna Wing of the United Kingdom introduced the newly minted term "Asperger syndrome" (AS). Finally, a half-century beyond the original research reports, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) formally designated AS a distinct clinical disorder, ensuring a degree of recognition and attention in the United States (Freeman, Cronin, & Candela, 2002). In the intervening years, identification rates of autism and AS, originally considered low incidence disabilities, have reflected a dramatic change. Wing and Potter (2002) concluded that the increase could be largely attributed to (1) recognition of the wider scope of the autistic spectrum and (2) changes in diagnostic criteria. This trend is clearly reflected in the current and potential size of the AS population. Based on Swedish projections of between. 26% and .71% of the general population (Ehlers & Gillberg, 1993; Kadesjoe, Gillberg, & Hagberg, 1999), this roughly translates into between 700, 000 and 2, 000, 000 individuals with AS in the United States (Safran, in press).
For speech language pathologists (SLPs) and related professionals, these numbers may be reminiscent of the explosion of students identified with learning disabilities that began 30 years ago. With identification rates rapidly expanding, what is the current knowledge base on AS?
The purpose of this article is to promote understanding of the characteristics and behaviors associated with AS and to introduce a range of intervention techniques used with school-age children. The authors first provide a description of the indicators of AS, followed by an overview of screening and the diagnostic process. Next, the Application ABCs section covers interventions addressing deficits in Academics, Behavior, and Communication. In this latter section, the authors hope the orientation will be helpful to professionals in understanding the current "big picture" of knowledge-based best practices in the schools.