Asperger's Disorder

Description

Today at least seven million children and adolescents are afflicted with developmental, behavioral, or mental disorders such as Asperger’s Disorder.

Examining the etiology, diagnosis and treatment of this condition, Asperger’s Disorder:

• is filled with comprehensive treatments in Asperger’s Disorder, including diagnostic tools, imaging techniques, case studies, etiology, treatments, and pharmacotherapies
• gives necessary guidance to psychiatrists and neurologists to ensure that they can correctly diagnose Asperger’s Disorder from other neuro-developmental disorders
• investigates prevalence of Asperger’s Disorder and presents individual case studies
• devotes entire chapters to the individual subjects: diagnosis, biological treatment, pharmacological treatment, and behavioral treatment

Contents

Background. History. History of Asperger’s vs. Autism. Case Studies of Asperger’s Disorder. Prevalence of Asperger’s Disorder. Diagnosis of Asperger’s Disorder. Diagnostic Criteria. Differential diagnosis. Neuropsychology of Asperger’s Disorder. Intelligence and Asperger’s Disorder. Afferent deficits in emotional perception. Efferent deficits of emotional expression. Stereotypes. Observations of testing abnormalities. Use of Neuropsychologic testing for Diagnostic Assessment. Studies of Brain Function in Asperger’s Disorder. Anatomical Imaging. Metabolic Imaging (MRI). Functional Imaging. Neurohistological Aspects of Asperger’s. Minicolumns. Brain size. Gray matter vs. white matter. Developmental differences. Cell migration. Possible Etiology of Asperger’s Disorder. Genetics. Environmental Hypotheses. Psychoanalytic Hypotheses. Morbidity and Mortality of Asperger’s Disorder. Morbidity. Mortality. Biological Treatment of Asperger’s Disorder. Pharmacologic Treatment. Behavioral Treatment. Parenting. Play therapy. Psychotherapy. Psychosocial Treatment of Asperger’s Disorder. psychoanalytic treatment. Management of Asperger’s Disorder. Tips for Parents. Tips for Educators. Tips for Vocational Counselors. Prognosis of Asperger’s Disorder. Disadvantages Asperger’s Disorder on mental health outcome. Possible advantages of Asperger’s Disorder. Patient Perspectives- Living with "Neurotypicals."

Author Bio

JEFFREY L. RAUSCH is Professor and Case Distinguished Chair in Psychiatry and Health Behavior, The Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, Georgia, USA. He received his M.D. from the Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, Georgia, USA. Dr. Rausch is also a member of over 15 professional organizations, including the American Psychiatric Association, Society of Biological Psychiatry, and Psychiatric Research Society, of which he served as President in 2003. He has been named one of the Best Doctors in America from 1994 through 2008, and has been awarded both the Humanitarian Award and the creativity award from the Medical College of Georgia as well as the Distinguished Fellow award from the American Psychiatric Association. In 2005, he was named one of the top One Hundred Health Professionals. Dr. Rausch’s specialty areas include psychiatric genetics, neuroendocrinology, molecular neuroscience, and clinical psychopharmacology.

MARIA E. JOHNSON is Medicine-Psychiatry Consultation-Liaison at Gracewood Hospital for the Developmentally Disabled, Augusta, Georgia, USA. She obtained her M.D., completed training and psychopharmacology fellowship at the Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, Georgia, USA. Dr. Johnson is a young investigator in the areas of Asperger’s Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorders, intellectual disability, and depression.

MANUEL F. CASANOVA is Professor of Psychiatry, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, USA. Dr. Casanova received his M.D. from the University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Having helped establish two of the most successful brain banks in the US, The Johns Hopkins Brain Resource Center and the Brain Bank Unit of the Clinical Brains Disorders Branch at the National Institutes of Mental Health, Dr. Casanova was bestowed honorary appointments as a scientific expert for the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology and professorial lecturer for the Department of Forensic Science at George Washington University. He is well published in a multitude of areas, including neuronal morphometry immunocytochemistry, neurochemistry, and autoradiography.

Related Subjects

1. Psychiatry
2. Neurology
3. Clinical Pharmacology
4. Psychiatry
5. Neurology
6. Pharmaceutical Medicine