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Published in: BMC Psychiatry 1/2005

Open Access 01-12-2005 | Research article

Subjective face recognition difficulties, aberrant sensibility, sleeping disturbances and aberrant eating habits in families with Asperger syndrome

Authors: Taina Nieminen-von Wendt, Juulia E Paavonen, Tero Ylisaukko-Oja, Susan Sarenius, Tiia Källman, Irma Järvelä, Lennart von Wendt

Published in: BMC Psychiatry | Issue 1/2005

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Abstract

Background

The present study was undertaken in order to determine whether a set of clinical features, which are not included in the DSM-IV or ICD-10 for Asperger Syndrome (AS), are associated with AS in particular or whether they are merely a familial trait that is not related to the diagnosis.

Methods

Ten large families, a total of 138 persons, of whom 58 individuals fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for AS and another 56 did not to fulfill these criteria, were studied using a structured interview focusing on the possible presence of face recognition difficulties, aberrant sensibility and eating habits and sleeping disturbances.

Results

The prevalence for face recognition difficulties was 46.6% in individuals with AS compared with 10.7% in the control group. The corresponding figures for subjectively reported presence of aberrant sensibilities were 91.4% and 46.6%, for sleeping disturbances 48.3% and 23.2% and for aberrant eating habits 60.3% and 14.3%, respectively.

Conclusion

An aberrant processing of sensory information appears to be a common feature in AS. The impact of these and other clinical features that are not incorporated in the ICD-10 and DSM-IV on our understanding of AS may hitherto have been underestimated. These associated clinical traits may well be reflected by the behavioural characteristics of these individuals.
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Metadata
Title
Subjective face recognition difficulties, aberrant sensibility, sleeping disturbances and aberrant eating habits in families with Asperger syndrome
Authors
Taina Nieminen-von Wendt
Juulia E Paavonen
Tero Ylisaukko-Oja
Susan Sarenius
Tiia Källman
Irma Järvelä
Lennart von Wendt
Publication date
01-12-2005
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Psychiatry / Issue 1/2005
Electronic ISSN: 1471-244X
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-244X-5-20

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