The diagnosis of autism and Asperger syndrome: Findings from a survey of 770 families

by Patricia Howlin and Anna Asgharian, 1999, Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 41, 834-839.

“As part of a wider survey of parents of children with autistic spectrum disorders in the UK, the diagnostic experiences of 614 parents of children with autism and 156 with Asperger syndrome were compared.

“ ...parents of children given a diagnosis of Asperger syndrome had experienced significantly longer delays and greater frustration in obtaining a diagnosis than those with a child with autism. In the 'autism group' the average age when diagnosis was confirmed was around 5.5 years; in the "Asperger group" it was 11 years.”

“Stereotyped or repetitive behaviours were not prominent in the early years in either group.”

“ ...problems in obtaining a correct diagnosis for a child with Asperger syndrome are often further exacerbated by the fact that professionals themselves disagree about the criteria for diagnosis.” (p. 834)

“If the recognition of the child with autism or Asperger syndrome is delayed, then siblings with the broader phenotype are even more likely to be overloooked and this deprived of the help they may need to minimize their problems” (p. 839).