What to Say Next

Asperger’s syndrome is a former diagnosis used to describe certain characteristics within the broader category of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The diagnosis was first created in 1944 by an Austrian pediatrician, Hans Asperger, who used it to describe children who struggled to reciprocate emotional communication with other children, which led to their difficulty in forming close friendships. The diagnosis was codified in the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) in 1994; it remained in use until the publication of the fifth edition in 2013. This removal was controversial, and some people with ASD, particularly those who were diagnosed during the two decades while Asperger’s syndrome was an approved diagnosis, continue to identify with the Asperger’s diagnosis.

The DSM-V included the characteristics previously known as Asperger’s syndrome in the diagnostic criteria for ASD. Though technically categorized as a disorder, many people with autism prefer that descriptions use the terms “neurodivergent” or “neurodiverse” to illustrate that the mental characteristics of ASD are different from typical neurological characteristics but not inherently “disordered” or in any way worse than neurotypicality. Others who speak out about normalizing autism prefer using person-first language (“person with autism”) that highlights that their ASD diagnosis is merely a larger part of their overall personalities, while some prefer to more forcefully interpellate the term and count “being autistic” as a key form of their identity. Autistic rights activists, including eco-activist Greta Thunberg, have spoken about embracing their autism as a positive factor that helps them in their lives, contrasting traditional narratives that framed autism as making the lives of people with the condition more difficult.

The symptoms that lead to an autism diagnosis vary widely but commonly include difficulty understanding social or emotional cues, difficulty making eye contact, or greater interest in objects over people. Some people with autism may have “hyperfocus” or “hyperfixations,” i.e., intense, often longstanding interests and the ability to devote significant attention to them. People with ASD may struggle with change more than neurotypical people, may have sensory issues such as sensitivity to sound or physical discomfort, or may engage in repetitive, soothing actions known as “stimming.”

Autism diagnoses are more commonly given to boys in childhood than girls; women with autism are more likely to be diagnosed later in life. Some autism researchers believe that this discrepancy is not because girls are less likely to be autistic than boys but because social expectations that involve being emotionally responsive to others are more aggressively encouraged in girls than in young boys. Studies indicate genetic links in autism that may make it more likely to occur in multiple members of biological families, but the full causes of autism are not known and are not presently assumed to be entirely genetic or biological. A longstanding narrative that vaccines cause autism has been debunked and was revealed to have been based on fabricated evidence.

ASD has seen greater representation in media in the past several decades. Mark Haddon’s 2003 book (and later play) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time has been praised for its representation of ASD, as has Temple Grandin’s memoir Thinking in Pictures, which documents her life as a woman with autism.