American Normal: The Hidden World of Asperger Syndrome - Book Review

Science News, Nov 23, 2002

LAWRENCE OSBORNE

Asperger syndrome is a relatively new diagnosis. In 1944, Viennese pediatrician Hans Asperger discerned that some autistic children are high functioning. People with what's now called Asperger syndrome display obsessive traits, but, unlike people with autism, they largely blend into society. They're often brilliant at math or able to perform savant-like feats of memory and calculation but are unable to read human emotions or facial expressions. In 1994, this condition was entered into the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Since then, the diagnosis of Asperger syndrome has increased dramatically. Osborne interviews people with the condition in an effort to better understand Asperger syndrome and the plight of those with it. In doing so, he considers whether people are better off being dubbed eccentric or diagnosed with a disease for which there's no cure. Moreover, he questions whether these people should be singled out at all. Copernicus, 2002, 224 p., hardcover, $27.50.