Asperger Syndrome and the Autism spectrum

A very comprehensive overview of Asperger syndrome (AS) by Dr. Stephen Bauer, MD, MPH that covers epidemiology, definition and clinical features.
 
 
Asperger syndrome refers to the mildest and highest functioning condition along the spectrum of pervasive developmental disorders (or the Autism spectrum) in which there are deviations or abnormalities in three broad aspects of development: social relatedness and social skills, the use of language for communicative purposes, and certain behavioral and stylistic characteristics involving repetitive features and a limited but intense range of interests.
 
The most obvious hallmark of Asperger syndrome is a marked fascination with particular areas of "special interest." In contrast to more typical Autism, where the interests are more likely to be object-oriented, in AS the interests appear most often to be specific intellectual areas (such as math, history or geography), with the individual wanting to learn everything possible about that subject.

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