Asperger Syndrome: Obsolete Diagnosis? Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Asperger syndrome was listed in the 'Diagnosis and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders' (DSM-5, 2013) as a standalone diagnosis?

Answer: False

Getting straight to the heart of the matter, the inclusion of Asperger syndrome in the DSM in 1994 elicited a variety of responses reflecting the many different perspectives that exist on areas of interest such as autism, personality, diagnostics, cognition, neurodivergence and identity.

Not surprisingly, the removal of Asperger syndrome as a standalone diagnosis from DSM-5 in 2013 also gave rise to a great deal of debate.

2. What term was used in the DSM-5 to cover a variety of expressions of the human condition including, what had at other times been known as, classical autism and childhood disintegrative disorder (CDD)?

Answer: Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Notwithstanding the debate around the diagnosis itself, the changing nomenclature reflects changing perspectives. When I authored the original version of this quiz in 2006, the term "neurodiversity" was not in common use but 18 years later, when penning v2.0 of this quiz, the term had become well-known and has proven to be one of the more successful expressions of this topic. Maybe there'll be a v3.0 some time in the 2050s which will capture yet more decades of change!

Autistic Spectrum Disorder was the term used in DSM-5 to create a spectrum from predecessors such as classical autism and Asperger syndrome amongst others.

3. What was the first name of Dr Asperger, the Austrian physician known for his observations of traits in children such as inability to easily make friends and difficulty picking up on body language?

Answer: Hans

Hans Asperger was an Austrian psychiatrist and paediatrician who is known to have called some of the children under his observation "little professors". Hans Asperger made many of his observations in the 1940s but Asperger syndrome would only be formally included in the 'Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders' in the fourth edition (DSM-IV) released in 1994.

Hans Asperger has a rather interesting background beyond his medical career. Historians are as interested in his life in 1940s Germany as they are for his contributions to psychology. Questions surrounding Hans Asperger's past also plays a part in why some wish to move away from the use of the Asperger syndrome label.

4. As would be the case for many expressions of neurodiversity, which of the following would be more likely to cause distress to those who would previously have been diagnosed - or still identify - with Asperger syndrome?

Answer: Spontaneity and change

Routine is a preferred mode of living - and can often be a safety blanket - for those who do not identify as neurotypical; a break in that routine can become problematic particularly for individuals with a more intense expression of autism. There are many facets of life - including the world of work - that benefit from a repetitive and predictable approach to tasks. Neurodiverse employees often find a welcoming home in environments such as accountancy, IT (particularly testing new software) and general administration.

5. Movements that oppose the use of diagnoses such as Asperger syndrome hold the view that such diagnoses are more accurately viewed as cognitive variation. Cognitive variation was a major theme of the work of which Swiss psychoanalyst known for describing cognitive functions?

Answer: Carl Jung

Swiss-born Carl Jung, known for his writings on the collective unconscious, was interested in cognitive variation and described a cognitive function model in the early 20th century. Jung described terms such as extraversion and introversion as well as intuition, feeling, thinking and sensing. Under this model, every individual has a different preference for the functions and rely on some more heavily and more instinctively than on others. Indeed, some of the functions may even be repressed.

Whilst the term neurodivergent is comparatively new, cognitive variation is not and the likes of Asperger syndrome and "high functioning autism" are perhaps the manifestation of a strong preference for "thinking" and "intuition" (introverted) rather than "feeling" and "sensing". Jung's cognitive functions are fascinating.

6. Hyperacusis is a condition that has a higher prevalence amongst those considered neurodiverse. Hyperacusis is an increased sensitivity to what?

Answer: Sound

Hyperacusis is an oversensitivity to some - or all - frequencies of sound and this can lead to outcomes ranging from overstimulation and irritation through to complete debilitation, pain and social isolation. Hyperacusis is sometimes conquered through the use of noise-cancelling headphones.

In scientific literature, hyperacusis has been broken down into four main subcategories which are annoyance, fear, loudness and pain.

7. When Asperger syndrome was added to the DSM-IV in 1994 there was a risk of a misdiagnosis of ADHD due to overlapping expressions. For what does the letter 'H' stand in the acronym ADHD?

Answer: Hyperactivity

Understanding cognition and the human condition continues to prove a very difficult task and it remains unlikely that any one model will be devised any time soon that would satisfy the many conflicting interpretations that exist in the fields of psychology and sociology. Whereas biological taxonomy (animals, plants, viruses and the like) has achieved widespread acceptance - though there is still plenty of debate to be had - classification of the mind remains contentious and the line separating one diagnosis from another can be very thin indeed.

ADHD or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is a well-known neurodiversity characterised by inattention and hyperactivity. Those with ADHD often find formal schooling a challenge and feel liberated when they find opportunities in later life that align with their energy and interests.

8. Which of the following is the more characteristic speech pattern of individuals that would previously have been diagnosed with Asperger syndrome?

Answer: Monotonous

Monotony is far more likely than dramatic, emotional ways of speaking. This is true for many manifestations of neurodiversity and is underpinned by a strong preference for logic and a disconnect with the emotional depth of language. It goes without saying that monotony is not exclusive to Asperger syndrome, Autistic Spectrum Disorder and the like. Talk about blurred lines!

9. Individuals considered to have Asperger syndrome according to DSM-IV would also have been prone to conditions such as depression.

Answer: True

One of the criticisms of the removal of Asperger syndrome as a stand-alone diagnosis and the stricter definitions brought in for Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) by DSM-5 was the greater difficulty it posed in obtaining the support an individual might need in their day-to-day life. Depression has a greater prevalence across the autistic spectrum than is typical along with associated complaints such as anxiety.

10. Whilst the characterisation of Asperger syndrome was fraught with difficulty, one of the more established indicators was the nature of an individual's set of interests. Which of the following best describes the interests of someone who would previously have been diagnosed with Asperger syndrome?

Answer: Narrow and intense

The intense pursuit of a narrow set of interests was a mainstay of the criteria used to diagnose Asperger syndrome during its time listed in the DSM-IV. A nuance worth considering is that the interests could often be list-based and show a tendency toward cataloguing and memorising data labels (unit numbers on trains, barcodes, comet identifiers and so on).

Schools of thought that oppose diagnoses such as Asperger syndrome suggest that a set of interests such as this is a part of life's rich tapestry, a natural variation in cognition, a neurodiversity to be embraced rather than medicalised. It would be very hard to argue that "narrow and intense" interests could not be held by an individual without a diagnosis of Asperger syndrome. A case in point that one characteristic does not make a diagnosis, nor account for an entire personality.

Source: Author jonnowales

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor crisw before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Asperger syndrome remains a well-known conceptualisation of neurodivergence that sits at the heart of conversations that touch upon identity, diagnosis and cognitive variance. This quiz was first released in 2006 and modernised in 2024.

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>

NEXT>