[Alexithymia and Asperger syndrome].

INTRODUCTION

The study starts with the hypothesis that the difficulty to identify and describe emotions and feelings, and to differentiate the feelings of bodily sensations that accompany them, are a common denominator of the construct of alexithymia and Asperger syndrome (AS).

PATIENTS AND

METHODS

The study evaluates the levels of alexithymia in nine adult male subjects with AS.

RESULTS

The results are classified according to whether the source of information is the subject itself with SA (significant alexithymia level in 2/3 parts of the subjects surveyed) or if the source is a relative (the final score in relation to the presence of the alexithymia is the double than in neurotypical population).

CONCLUSION

It's confirmed a significant comorbidity between alexithymia and SA leading to the question of whether alexithymia is a idiosyncratic trait of individuals with SA.