Asperger Syndrome in Adulthood: A Comprehensive Guide for Clinicians

A thorough overview of Asperger syndrome for mental health professionals.

Despite the dramatic proliferation of research, clinical perspectives, and first-person accounts of Asperger Syndrome (AS) in the last 15 years, much of this information has focused on the application of the diagnosis to children, even though AS displays persistence over time in individuals. This book is one of the only guides to Asperger Syndrome as it manifests itself in adults. It integrates research and clinical experience to provide mental health professionals with a comprehensive discussion of AS in adulthood, covering issues of diagnosis as well as co-morbid psychiatric conditions, psychosocial issues, and various types of interventions―from psychotherapy to psychopharmacology. It also discusses basic diagnostic criteria, controversies about the disorder, and possible interventions and treatments for dealing with the disorder.

Kevin Stoddart, PhD, is the Founding Director of The Redpath Centre (Toronto, Ontario) and Assistant Professor (Status), Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto. He received his Masters degree in social work in 1989, and his Doctorate in social work from the University of Toronto in 2003. He has worked in the fields of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs), Asperger Syndrome and child and adult mental health for over twenty-five years. For the last fifteen years, his clinical focus has been children, youth and adults with mild ASDs and in particular, Asperger Syndrome. His research and publications focus on understanding the clinical and psychosocial needs of individuals with developmental disabilities, ASDs, and their families. He has published chapters and articles in the areas of ASDs and developmental disabilities and edited a Canadian volume on Asperger Syndrome. He teaches graduate-level practice and program evaluation courses at the University of Toronto and speaks throughout North America. Dr. Stoddart consults to organizations for individuals with ASDs and developmental disabilities in the areas of program development and evaluation, and is a Consultant to Autism Society Canada.

Lillian Burke, PhD, is a Psychologist and Assistant Director of the Redpath Centre (Toronto, Ontario). She obtained a Doctorate in Clinical and Developmental Psychology from York University (Toronto, Ontario) in 1993. Dr. Burke first specialized in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) in the early 1980s, and since then, has continued to work with children and adults who have ASDs and developmental disabilities. In 1994, she began working with children, youth and adults with Asperger Syndrome and other mild forms of ASDs. She has been previously employed by several agencies providing clinical services to individuals with developmental disabilities, their families and the agencies that support them. In her private practice, her primary activity is assessment of and consultation to individuals who have ASDs and in particular, Asperger Syndrome. As well as clinical work, she has carried out research and published extensively on the area of ASDs and developmental disabilities in adults.

Robert King, MD, has worked, for over two decades, with multiple interdisciplinary teams, largely in rural underserved regions of Ontario, in supporting individuals with intellectual disabilities, Autism Spectrum Disorders and mental health concerns. Dr. King graduated with honors from the University of Toronto Medical School in 1989. He attained certification in Family Medicine at Queen’s University (Kingston, Ontario), practiced as a Family Physician in northern Ontario, and then returned to the University of Western Ontario (London, Ontario) to complete his training in Psychiatry in 1993. He has since worked primarily in rural underserved areas of Ontario assisting in the development of innovative program designs, with a biopsychosocial perspective. He emphasizes the need to operationalize signs and symptoms of mental health concerns and objective monitoring systems to assess improvements in quality of life in response to treatment recommendations. He is currently consultant to the only Assertive Community Treatment Team in Canada exclusively supporting individuals with dual diagnosis (ACT-DD, Brockville Mental Health Centre) as well as Pathways to Independence (Brockville, Ontario), Kerry’s Place Autism Service (Aurora Ontario), and Community Living agencies in northwestern Ontario.