Referral pattern and special interests in children and adolescents with Asperger syndrome: a Turkish referred sample.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the most frequent reasons for referral, the most common special interests, age at first referral to a mental health service, and the age of diagnosis in children and adolescents with Asperger syndrome living in Turkey.

METHODS

This study includes 61 children and adolescents diagnosed with Asperger syndrome using strict DSM-IV criteria.

RESULTS

The mean age at first referral was 7.9 whereas the mean age when Asperger syndrome was diagnosed was 9.9, which is compatible with other studies. The most frequent reasons for the first referral were attention deficits, hyperactivity, and academic failure, and the most common special interest area was "electronic devices, computer, and technical interests".

CONCLUSIONS

The types of special interests and referral reasons in our Asperger syndrome sample are very similar to the interest areas and referral reasons of individuals with Asperger syndrome from developed western countries indicating the universality of symptoms. It could be concluded that children and adolescents with Asperger syndrome may refer to mental health services with a variety of symptoms; therefore, it is important to make a detailed assessment of social difficulties especially in school-age children and adolescents for the differential diagnosis of Asperger syndrome.