Asperger Syndrome: Epidemiology
Given the lack of consensual definitions of diagnosis until recently, it is not surprising that the prevalence of Aspergers is unknown, although a rate of 2 to 4 in 10,000 has been reported. There is little doubt that the condition is more prevalent in boys than girls, with a reported ratio of 9 to 1. In the past few years, there have been a proliferation of parent support groups organized around the concept of Aspergers, and there are indications that this diagnosis is being given by clinicians much more frequently than even just a few years ago; there are also indications that Aspergers is currently functioning as a residual diagnosis given to normal-intelligence young people with a degree of social disabilities who do not fulfill criteria for autism, overlapping in this way, with the DSM-IV term PDD-NOS. Possibly the most common usage of the term Aspergers is as synonymous or a replacement to autism in children with normative or superior IQs. This pattern has diluted t