A family history study of Asperger syndrome.
Asperger syndrome families carry more depression and schizophrenia than high-functioning autism families, so screen both the client and the relatives.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Ghaziuddin (2005) looked at family mental-health histories. The team compared relatives of people with Asperger syndrome to relatives of people with high-functioning autism.
They used a case-series design. Each family answered questions about depression, schizophrenia, and other diagnoses in parents, siblings, and grandparents.
What they found
Depression and schizophrenia showed up more often in Asperger families. High-functioning autism families had lower rates of these two illnesses.
The pattern gives Asperger syndrome its own family psychiatric fingerprint.
How this fits with other research
Saunders et al. (1988) saw the same split seventeen years earlier. They also found that bipolar disorder clustered with Asperger families, not with classic autism.
Lugnegård et al. (2011) and Wilkinson et al. (1998) flipped the lens. They showed that the actual person with Asperger syndrome often develops depression too. The family risk and the personal risk line up.
Mattila et al. (2010) widened the view. They counted all comorbid diagnoses in youth and found three-quarters carried an extra disorder. Mohammad’s family signal helps explain where some of that load comes from.
Why it matters
When you meet a new client with Asperger syndrome, ask about family mood and psychosis history. If parents or siblings have depression or schizophrenia, plan extra screening for the client. Share the pattern with families so they watch for early signs and seek help sooner.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Asperger syndrome (AS) is a childhood-onset disorder often described as a mild variant of autism. Although classified as a distinct disorder in the DSM-IV, its overlap with autism continues to be a matter of ongoing debate. While the family genetic origins of autism are well established, few studies have investigated this topic in AS using current operational criteria. In this report, we examined the family psychiatric history of 58 subjects with AS diagnosed according to DSM-IV criteria (48 males; mean age 13.34; mean full scale IQ 104.87). All subjects had a history of mild autistic social deficits; focused special interests; normal level of intelligence; and an odd and often pedantic manner of speaking. None had a previous diagnosis of autism. Of the 58 subjects with Asperger syndrome, three had first degree relatives with AS; nine (15%) had a family history of schizophrenia; and 35 (60%) had a family history of depression. Of the 64 siblings, four had a diagnosis of AS and none of autism. Compared with a group of 39 subjects with normal intelligence autism (high functioning autism, HFA; 33 males; mean age 15.34; mean full scale IQ 85.89) subjects with AS were more likely to have relatives with depression; schizophrenia; and the broader autistic phenotype. Possible reasons for and implications of these findings are discussed.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2005 · doi:10.1007/s10803-004-1996-4