Asperger's Syndrome Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Asperger's Syndrome, including details on symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, medication.

Comparison of Diagnostic Methods for Asperger Syndrome.

Kopra K, von Wendt L, Nieminen-von Wendt T, Paavonen EJ

Department of Child Neurology, HUCH Hospital for Children and Adolescents, Helsinki, Finland.

Several different diagnostic sets of criteria exist for Asperger syndrome (AS), but there is no agreement on a gold standard. The aim of this study was to compare four diagnostic sets of criteria for AS: the ICD-10, the DSM-IV, the Gillberg & Gillberg, and the Szatmari criteria. The series consists of 36 children who had been referred to two centers with a tentative diagnosis of AS. The best agreement was between the ICD-10 and the DSM-IV criteria (Kappa coefficient 0.48), and the lowest between the Gillberg & Gillberg and Szatmari criteria (Kappa coefficient -0.21). The poor agreement between these sets of diagnostic criteria compromises the comparability of studies on AS.

Published 7 March 2008 in J Autism Dev Disord.
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