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Open AccessHighly AccessResearch article

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

Taina Nieminen-von Wendt1 email, Juulia E Paavonen2 email, Tero Ylisaukko-Oja3,4 email, Susan Sarenius1 email, Tiia Källman1 email, Irma Järvelä4,5 email and Lennart von Wendt1 email

Department of Child Neurology, Hospital for Children and Adolescents, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland

Department of Child Psychiatry, Hospital for Children and Adolescents, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland

Department of Molecular Medicine, National Public Health Institute, Helsinki, Finland

Department of Medical Genetics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Helsinki University Hospital (Laboratory Services), Helsinki, Finland

author email corresponding author email

BMC Psychiatry 2005, 5:20doi:10.1186/1471-244X-5-20

Published: 12 April 2005

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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