What autism spectrum disorder was first identified in 1944 due to a study of children who lacked nonverbal communication skills, demonstrated limited empathy with their peers, and were physically clumsy?
Asperger syndrome Austrian pediatrician Hans Asperger, who in 1944 described children in his practice who lacked nonverbal communication, had limited understanding of others' feelings, and were physically clumsy. The modern conception of Asperger syndrome came into existence in 1981 and went through a period of popularization. It became a standardized diagnosis in the early 1990s. Many questions and controversies remain about aspects of the disorder. There is doubt about whether it is distinct from high-functioning autism (HFA). Partly because of this, the percentage of people affected is not firmly established. The extent of the overlap between AS and high-functioning autism (HFA –
Nonverbal autism Nonverbal autism Nonverbal autism is a subset of autism where the subject is unable to speak. While most autistic children eventually begin to speak, there is a significant minority who will remain nonverbal. It is estimated that 25% to 50% of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) never develop spoken language beyond a few words or utterances. Despite the growing field of research on ASD, there is not much information available pertaining to individuals with autism who never develop functional language; that, in fact, individuals with nonverbal autism are considered to be underrepresented in all of autism research. Because