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Callous–unemotional traits and autistic psychopathy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

M. F. Fitzgerald*
Affiliation:
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland. Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

Type
Columns
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2007 

Viding et al (Reference Viding, Frick and Plomin2007) made no reference to autistic psychopathy (Reference AspergerAsperger, 1944) nor did any of the other papers in Supplement 49 on assessment risk and outcome in severe personality disorder. The severe unempathic conduct and aggression problems were well recognised by Asperger (Reference Asperger1944) and overlap with what Viding et al (Reference Viding, Frick and Plomin2007) describe as ‘more severe, aggressive, and stable pattern of antisocial behaviour and a specific neurocognitive profile indicative of defects in affect processing’. This is precisely what children (and adults) with autistic psychopathy and antisocial behaviour demonstrate (Fitzgerald, Reference Fitzgerald2001, Reference Fitzgerald2003).

References

Asperger, H. (1944) Die ‘autistischen Psychopathen’ im Kindesalter. Archiv für Psychiatrie und Nervenkrankheiten, 117, 76136.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fitzgerald, M. (2001) Autistic psychopathy. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 40, 870.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fitzgerald, M. (2003) Callous-unemotional traits and Asperger's syndrome? Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 42, 1011.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Viding, E., Frick, P. J. & Plomin, R. (2007) Aetiology of the relationship between callous-unemotional traits and conduct problems in childhood. British Journal of Psychiatry, 190 (suppl. 49), s33s38.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
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